• Asobo Games says it's interested in making a new A Plague Tale game set in the modern day
• The studio says it would be like The Last of Us, since Naughty Dog's game was a "big inspiration"
• Actor Anna Demetriou says a modern-day spin-off would work well since the Macula is "fantastical"

Asobo Games has said it "would love" to make a new A Plague Tale game set in the modern day, since Naughty Dog's The Last of Us influenced the series.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom ahead of the launch of the studio's latest game, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Valérian Robert (lead level designer), Carol Ann Bañuls (lead writer), and actor Anna Demetriou, who played the part of Resonance protagonist Sophia were asked about its next project and confirmed that a modern-day spin-off is something they're asked about frequently.

"Absolutely," Bañuls replied when asked if the setting would be a good pick for Asobo. "Definitely. Personally, I think so. I think it would be great."

Demetriou said, "It's one of the things a lot of people ask me about," with Bañuls adding, "It would be really Last of Us kind of."

Bañuls went on to say that, "Yeah, definitely, because it was a big inspiration. So yeah, if it's in modern days, it would be great."

In the A Plague Tale universe, the Prima Macula is an ancient curse that poisons the blood of certain families and is something that appears in every major A Plague Tale game, including Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. Demetriou thinks the Macula would work very well in a modern-day setting, because the plague is "fantastical."

"It would be amazing," Demetriou continued, "I would love that to fit into a modern-day setting. Yeah, it would be interesting to see what that would look like. I would love that."

Asobi Games hasn't announced its next project just yet, but A Plague Tale game set in a time gamers are familiar with sounds awesome. Now, fans can pick up Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, which is available today on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

FiiO FG3: one-minute review

As an audio journalist, I’ve covered FiiO plenty of times; the brand is known for beloved digital audio players like the JM21 and digital-audio converters like the FA15. But I was surprised to see the brand enter a totally different market, trying its hand at a gaming headset.

The FiiO FG3 is the resulting device, and it clearly bears some of the audiophile DNA that FiiO is known for. It offers a coaxial dual-driver set-up, which is uncommon in games-focused headphones, and also totes a lightweight DAC control module to jump between audio presets.

So it should be a gaming gem, right? Right? Well, I think something was lost in translation.

FiiO’s hardware is fantastic for music, and the FG3 is the same, with the dual-driver set-up and handy EQ modes working well. However, it’s not quite as good for gaming, which isn’t ideal for a 'gaming' headset.

Audio is often too muddy and rumbly to do justice to the layered sound design of an immersive environment or frantic battlefield. It’s largely the low-end which lets the side down, with higher-pitched sounds cutting through pretty effectively. This won’t affect all games, and dialogue-heavy or rhythm ones will benefit massively from the tuning.

The fit of the headphones isn’t perfect either. While the cups are incredibly soft, the headphones squeeze and the headband is too firm. I had to take breaks from long gaming sessions to avoid my head hurting.

That all may sound like a series of criticisms, but there’s a lot to like here too. The cans are easily portable, and the control app being online-only is a breath of fresh air in this bloatware-riddled world (even if it rules out EQ control when you’ve got no internet).

The FG3 is also, crucially, pretty affordable, and I can see a discount or two making it an absolute bargain. If you’re reading this when they’re even $10 / £10 off, they’ll be an absolute bargain.

So it’s easy to look past some of the more annoying elements, or rougher edges, of FiiO’s sound tuning and design. But I can’t help but hope that the brand’s second foray into gaming headsets makes some improvements on what we’ve currently got.

FiiO FG3: Price and availability

• List price: $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140)
• Available in the US, UK and Europe
• Matches RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, undercuts other rivals

The FiiO FG3 sells for $69.99 / £69.99 (about AU$140, though at the time of writing, it’s not on sale in Australia), and was unveiled in June, 2026.

At that price, it undercuts many of the best wired gaming headsets, though it matches our top-rated pick: the catchily-titled RIG R5 Spear Pro HS. That makes it fairly good value for a gaming headset, with many alternatives going for three-figure sums.

For your money, you get the headset as well as a removable microphone, control cable and USB adaptor (which lets you plug the USB-C control cable into a USB-A port, if that’s what you have available).

FiiO FG3: specs

FiiO FG3: design and features

The FiiO FG3 comes with a non-removable cable, which connects into a 3.5mm jack. It’s not long, but it’ll reach a hand-held controller. However, it’s best to connect it to a control module which comes in the box; this offers you the ability to mute, change EQ or modify volume, and has a much longer cable which connects to a device via USB-C (or USB-A, thanks to an included adaptor).

These cans aren’t particularly unique-looking, although the cups are slightly canted, which helps them fit a head shape better. They rotate a little horizontally and vertically, which also helps with the fit, though some other elements like the thin metal headband or certain cheap-feeling plastic elements discourage any notion of these being premium headphones. There are no on-cup controls either.

While the ear pads are soft and comfortable, I did find that the padded headband wasn’t padded enough. Longer gaming stints ended in growing aches; the FG3 fit isn’t as comfortable as other gaming headsets I’ve used. A slight squeeze offered by the cans didn’t help either.

You can fold the cups in on each other, and remove the microphone, transforming the headset into a compact unit which is easy to transport (though it doesn’t come with any kind of carry case). Combined with a feature we’ll get to later, it’s a great headset for people who game in different venues.

Now onto the feature set. A potentially-divisive feature of the FiiO FG3 is that you don’t need to download a control app to clutter up your PC. Instead, FiiO’s website offers the ability to change EQ and flick between presets.

I loved the fact I didn’t need to download more bloating software onto my rig, and that I could tote the FG3 between different systems and locations and still customize them, but it does mean that you get no control while offline.

The control site lets you choose three presets, which the control module lets you change between: a gaming mode, a cinema one, and a music one. The latter list, which includes the custom mode, is the one I found myself using most.

This module also means you can still jump between your EQ presets when you're on a console or handheld, so your decision to play on a Switch, PlayStation or Xbox doesn't mean you're banned from customizable sound.

Don’t expect any Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) here. I found that the Passive Noise Cancellation (PNC) or natural ear cup blocking, managed to cut out annoying background sounds from my street, as did the closed-back design. But it won’t save you from louder interruptions.

FiiO FG3: performance

True to its audiophile heritage, FiiO has packed the FG3 with two drivers per cup: one 50mm dynamic driver designed to handle mid- and low-end, and a smaller 16mm dynamic driver for higher-end sounds. The benefit of dual drivers, rather than the sole unit found in most gaming headsets, is twofold: firstly, each being dedicated to different frequencies means that they can be better catered to them. Secondly, simultaneous sounds can be delivered with better clarity.

This latter is certainly true of the FiiO FG3, which has a distinct V-shaped sound profile; that means that bass and treble are well-defined and clear, though mids are a little lost. This isn’t a huge issue for gaming, as most sound effects are low or high ones, but it’s audible in music (including game scores).

It’s also clear that the high-end dynamic driver does its job well. Dialogue is easy to make out, even in frantic battles, including in-game audio and friends’ voice chats during gameplay. It’s also easy to make out nearby footsteps or the twinkle of a distant collectible.

However, I’m not as sold on the bass capabilities of the larger driver. In music it’s scooping and well-defined, but while gaming it lacks the power or ‘oomph’ of some other headsets I’ve tested. This means the chatter of your gunfire sounds a little dulled, nearby explosions lose a visceral edge, and roaring monsters sound like they have a sore throat.

Perhaps most importantly, the background rumble of a city or busy landscape which so often defines an alive-feeling open world felt a little too ‘rumbly’ for me. Some of FiiO’s equalization modes go some way to fix its issues, but not the whole way; I never found a way to stop the sound feeling a little muddy, and sometimes even made it worse.

A much-touted selling point of the FG3 is the use of Virtual 7.1, an algorithm which spreads sound to give a feeling of surround sound, without using 8 speakers (which would simply be 7.1 sound). It helps a little in spreading environmental and atmospheric sounds about you, though you’ll never forget that you’re simply getting spread-out headphone sound.

The removable microphone is… fine for purpose, but won’t deliver especially crystalline audio. Even recording onto my PC’s own voice recorder app, speech is a little crackly. However, I appreciate how dexterous the strut holding the microphone is: you can move it to different angles or heights, and there’s far more versatility than in many other headsets I’ve used.

Should I buy the FiiO FG3?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

FiiO FG3: Also consider

Here are two more gaming headsets that we've given positive reviews to, if you're not sold on the FiiO FG3.

How I tested the FiiO FG3

• Used for three weeks
• Tested for gaming and other tasks
• Mainly connected to gaming PC

I tested the FiiO FG3 for roughly three weeks in order to write the review. Through this time, I used the headset while connected to my gaming PC; I tried to plug it into my Android phone, but the connection was stuttery.

The majority of the testing was done gaming; predominantly Nioh 3 and Total War: Pharaoh, but with time also spent on Old School Runescape, Isonzo, Slay The Spire, Crying Suns and the Mortal Shell 2 beta. I also used the headset to stream music while at work, and watch YouTube videos and TV shows.

Since I review audio products for a living, I have plenty of experience testing gaming headsets (and using other headphones for gaming purposes). I've also tested other FiiO products.

First reviewed August 2026

Read more about how we test

Onimusha: Way of the Sword has blown me away after 30 hours with its engaging, emotional, and immersive narrative, filled with epic combat encounters. Capcom nailed the sword-fighting in almost all areas, further aided by some of the best boss battles I've ever played in the action-adventure genre.

The enemy variety in Way of the Sword appears a little weak initially, but fortunately, there is surprisingly a decent number of diverse enemy types to tackle, some of which will put players' skills to the test, and enemies that tie directly to some of the darker and morbid aspects of the story — giving me every bit of motivation to defeat those responsible.

Much like previous games in the Onimusha series, upgrades and enhancements work by collecting red souls from defeating enemies or by finding other necessary resources to stay well-equipped for more difficult encounters or boss fights (because there are many of them).

Capcom has blended elements from the beloved franchise with modern elements (notably thanks to the RE Engine, used in Resident Evil Requiem), creating a sword-fighting, narrative-driven experience that successfully revitalizes the franchise for future entries — and yet again, it proves that it's in the best form it's ever been in.

What it takes to be the strongest

In Onimusha: Way of the Sword, we follow Miyamoto Musashi, a confident young samurai looking to climb to the very top to be the best swordsman there is, battling rivals and those with the same goal. When an encounter with a fierce rival, Sasaki Ganryu, goes wrong, both Musashi and Ganryu are thrust into lives and roles neither could ever expect.

Genma (demons) are seeping into Kyoto, Japan, from the depths of hell, and chaos is unfolding, with the lives of innocents taken brutally, and formidable Genma tormenting those who are vulnerable.

Musashi and Ganryu seek the same goal: master the blade and become the ultimate swordsman. However, both will eventually learn that far more important matters are at stake: humanity's attempt to repel Genma is in dire need of attention, and with Ganryu led astray, it's up to Musashi to forge the right path to heroism.

Equipped with Oni gauntlets, Musashi and Ganryu possess strengths far above the ordinary human, with plenty of abilities to challenge and defeat Genma. However, as expected, with that power comes plenty of responsibility.

Do strength and power derive from one's own efforts? Is it honorable to seek absolute power with the sacrifice of innocents? These are questions Musashi is left to answer throughout his journey, learning through victory but also through trial and error, ultimately creating an engaging rollercoaster that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Musashi is far from perfect in his use of Oni powers, but the character's development throughout the Way of the Sword and his bravado (significantly amped by the face model of the late and legendary Toshiro Mifune) are the strongest aspects of the game, keeping you coming back for more after each main story mission.

Miyamoto Musashi shines in every single cutscene, with a level of charisma that accurately represents the legendary Japanese figure, Musashi himself, and Toshiro Mifune's prowess. (Video Credit: Capcom)

As much as Onimusha: Way of the Sword maintains a strong focus on sword combat, it's very much a strong cinematic experience, with cutscenes that are absolutely phenomenal. The level of detail in every character's facial expressions and speech makes it feel like you're watching a movie at times.

Unfortunately, that makes the switch back to gameplay and dialogue sequences quite jarring. It's not that the visuals aren't great during gameplay; it just doesn't match up to those cinematic sequences, and I found myself constantly wishing gameplay looked as great as those important cutscenes — but ultimately, those beautiful visuals are designed for what's most important: the story.

Exceptional, addictive sword combat

Unsurprisingly, the combat in Onimusha: Way of the Sword is fantastic, taking fundamentals from what series veterans are accustomed to, alongside new and exciting skills, making every encounter entertaining.

As mentioned in my preview, the Issen technique makes its return, allowing players to viciously strike enemies right before being hit, and it makes for an incredible spectacle.

More importantly, parrying and deflecting are pivotal to overcoming foes in Way of the Sword. Just like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by FromSoftware, both defence options significantly deplete enemy stamina or 'posture', leaving them open to attacks for huge damage.

Way of the Sword treats Sekiro's 'deathblows' slightly differently; instead of one central area to attack, players have several options for areas to strike against bosses.

In scenarios where Musashi runs out of Hozuki (used for quick healing), most bosses will have a limb or part of a weapon (notably with the Byakue boss) highlighted in purple that is filled with red, yellow, blue, and purple souls, but does less damage to the enemy compared to the traditional main attack.

It's an aspect of combat that creates a dynamic back-and-forth between Musashi and various bosses, especially if you need more yellow souls for health from dealing too much damage earlier on.

Patience is key when attempting to execute Issen or Chain Issen, as the timing window is very narrow, more so than those for parries and deflects. When mastered, though, you'll overcome most enemies with ease. (Video Credit: Capcom)

Capcom did promise that enemies further into the game's story would be more difficult, after players voiced concerns that the demo was too easy. While I can say that endgame enemies are certainly more formidable and aggressive, some even making me sweat when in larger numbers, most basic enemy encounters are still easy.

This is directly due to Capcom's design for Way of the Sword's combat, which is very obviously focused on replicating samurai-like fights, taking after historical samurai duels that often ended in a single strike. Enemies won't attack Musashi in groups, making clashes with enemies easy, but I can see what director Satoru Nihei was aiming for with slower, more deliberate, and steadily paced sword clashes.

Fortunately, once you beat the game, you'll unlock the hard mode, Carnage, which is encouraged for use in New Game Plus. This raises the stakes to a new level, as a single hit could result in death, similar to Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima and its Lethal difficulty.

While that doesn't directly address the fundamental aspect of enemies not attacking Musashi all at once, it will keep players on their toes to remain efficient in combat.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword genuinely has some of the best animations I've ever seen in any video game, particularly when parrying. Musashi oozes so much swagger in every single fight, making his confident and cocky attitude shine through combat, not just dialogue and cutscenes.

At the same time, I was slightly disappointed to see that Musashi's katana is the only primary weapon to use throughout the game. Yes, you'll find Oni Armaments on the journey, which effectively act as secondary weapons, but they require blue souls to pull off special attacks. It's a step away from a series tradition, where characters like Samonsuke or Jean Reno had a wide arsenal of weapons to use on the fly.

The game excels at its parry and deflect animations, but is surprisingly lacking in the number of animations for enemy finishers — and I couldn't help but feel like another primary weapon besides the katana would instantly fix that.

Nonetheless, Onimusha: Way of the Sword's boss fights make up for it, as they are easily the standout in an already immersive and addictive game experience. While some of the boss encounters are repeated too often, particularly during the game's climax, they are easily among some of the most epic boss battles I've played in games.

Besides the final boss battle, Dohatsu-ten is a strong favourite of mine, putting my reflexes to parry fast attacks to the test, and its design reminds me of Capcom's very own familiar and beloved half-demon, half-human demon hunter, Dante. (Video Credit: Capcom)

If difficulty is a major concern, fear not, because not only are the boss fights a fantastic spectacle, but they're also very challenging. Bosses will often launch attacks (where swords have a purple glow) that can't be dodged or blocked, so players must parry or deflect them or lose plenty of souls in the process.

Losing souls from being hit by an enemy's unblockable attack is very risky, as they'll be collected and used to make them even stronger mid-fight — and this is the last thing you'll want to happen during the final boss fight, which I won't spoil.

Players will also have to look out for bosses attempting to grab Musashi by hitting the dodge button just before it lands, as mistiming this results in serious damage and can single-handedly decide a fight. Pulling off well-timed dodges, parries, deflects, and counters to grabs makes the entire combat experience addictive, and once you unlock the Oni transformation, the game takes a new leap to greater heights.

What about performance?

I played Onimusha: Way of the Sword on my main desktop gaming PC, equipped with an RTX 4080 Super and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D processor, and performance was the least of my concerns. Through most of my 30-hour playthrough, I played at maximum graphics settings at the 3440x1440 display resolution, with DLSS Quality enabled, and consistently stayed above the 100 fps mark.

When testing the game on my Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme handheld gaming PC, I could easily hit around 40fps with graphics settings preset to medium, with FSR set to balanced, at around 24W (power consumption).

This is another Capcom game that runs very smoothly, which was a worry considering some of its semi-open world hubs. The RE Engine seems to struggle in open-world (open-area) games like Dragon's Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds, rather than those with linear environments in Capcom's Resident Evil games.

I did experience a few odd moments of heavy frame rate dips during some cutscenes, but these were few and far between, so it didn't break the flow of important narrative development.

There is full ultrawide support in both cutscenes and gameplay, which isn't exactly common for PC ports, as the former is often restricted to the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Should you play Onimusha: Way of the Sword?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Onimusha: Way of the Sword has plenty of accessibility options, notably color blindness aids alongside visual and auditory accessibility presets. Within those presets lie options such as subtitles (toggle on or off), subtitle size, subtitle background, menu text size, and HUD size.

There are also numerous options to change the blood color, disable dismemberment, remove action prompts, and motion sickness reduction settings.

Players can also change keybinds for mouse and keyboard play, while there are several different options for sprint control (toggle or hold), deflect control, menu cursor speed, and even one to disable the Windows key's functionality.

The game ships with DLSS 4.5 and FSR 3 frame generation, CPU performance presets, and ray tracing, which doesn't seem heavy to run — at least on a high-end gaming system.

How I reviewed Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Most of my 30-hour playthrough of Onimusha: Way of the Sword was on my main gaming PC, using the LG 45GS95QE OLED ultrawide display, providing exceptional immersion thanks to its 800R curvature.

During my trip to Gamescom, I put Onimusha's performance to the test by lowering my Lenovo Legion Go S handheld's TDP as much as possible, and was quite impressed by how steady it was around 40fps. It's certainly possible to achieve 60fps, but it would require lowering graphics settings further and increasing the TDP.

First reviewed August 2026

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: two-minute review

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is a high-octane handheld games console that can run PC and Xbox games from a wide range of game stores. With the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chipset — featuring the Intel Arc B390 GPU and 32GB RAM — it’s easily the most powerful portable console I’ve ever (quite literally) gotten my hands on. But there’s a pretty huge catch to that performance: a price tag that would buy you two Steam Deck OLEDs or a mid-price gaming laptop.

Let’s start with the superficial stuff: the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ looks gorgeous. Its screen is an extensive eight inches across, offers wonderfully rich colors and a silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Combined with its discreet RGB lighting around the asymmetrically placed thumbsticks and Void Purple colorway, it has a unique look that definitely helps it stand out from the crowd.

But its design goes far beyond aesthetics. Its Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers should not only offer greater longevity, but they felt really responsive, even if they’re not quite as sensitive as the TMR versions now offered by some controllers. Meanwhile, it felt perfectly ergonomic in my hands — I was genuinely surprised how light it felt for a 1.73 lb / 786g console — although its laser-etched grips sure made my hands feel sweaty, for some reason.

What cements the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ as one of the best handheld games consoles out there, though, is its performance. It’s the first gaming handheld on the market with the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chipset and, boy, does that have a pronounced effect on how it plays. While benchmarks showed it offered similar CPU performance to the recent Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, thanks to its Intel Arc B390 GPU and 32GB RAM, it managed to smash its 3D Mark benchmarks by between 35% and 76% — that’s a significant performance upgrade.

Numbers only tell part of the story, though: what was the Claw actually like in action? Well, Baldur’s Gate 3 looked truly gorgeous on Ultra graphics settings and yet it hovered around a decent 38fps. Meanwhile, despite only being released in 2025, both Doom: The Dark Ages and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 played at a rock-solid 60fps — whether I was punching demons to death or countering devastating attacks, there wasn’t a hint of latency or lag. Even the boss-level challenge of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered hit 60fps at points… before plunging to a stuttery mess in busier areas. Still that’s impressive stuff for a handheld console.

But the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has a pretty huge barrier to Fosbury flop over: its price. In return for its premium components, you’ll pay a seriously premium price tag of $1,799.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,849. Not only is that significantly higher than any other gaming handheld to date, it’s also as expensive as some mid-range gaming laptops.

And that presents an enormous problem for the Claw. Despite the fact that some of the best gaming laptops come in at a similar price, many of them offer superior performance in our benchmark tests. Now don’t get me wrong: no gaming laptop offers the kind of ergonomics or compact form factor you get here, but I do have doubts that the pro gamers that can afford this kind of device will be willing to trade performance simply for the sake of increased maneuverability.

That’s a real shame because in almost every respect, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is a fantastic gaming handheld that has really stretched my expectations of what this kind of device is capable of. I want one. And you should too. But I’m not convinced either of us will be able to justify the spend.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: price & availability

Having launched on June 23, 2026, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is available now. As you can see from the specs — or if you took sneaky peak at the benchmarks in the performance section — it’s seriously mighty for a gaming handheld.

It’s the first handheld console on the market that rocks the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chipset, which includes the 12-core Intel Arc B390 GPU and a hefty 32GB RAM. That puts it considerably ahead of most of its competitors, even if it can’t quite rival any of the best gaming laptops for sheer processing punch.

Unfortunately, like the hero in a Greek tragedy — or Oddyseus, apparently — it has a fatal flaw. The price. At $1,799.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,849, its cost is possibly the most eye-watering thing I’ve come across in a while and that includes all the people on social media that bragged about raw-dogging the solar eclipse in August. While the price tag here might not literally melt your retinas, it’s likely to give you second thoughts.

By comparison, we threw some shade on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X for its price on its release — and that only retailed for $999.99 / £799.99 / AU$1,599. The Claw 8 EX AI+’s sticker price outstrips every other handheld console by quite some margin, sitting more up the gaming laptop end of the spectrum. For example, a mid-spec Alienware 16X Aurora, with Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 and 32GB DDR5, goes for $1,999.99 / £1,799 (around AU$2,800). Ultimately, I think there aren’t going to be that many mainstream gamers able to pay this price and those that do are going to expect stellar performance in return.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: specs

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: design

I’ll be honest: when I first picked up the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, I was pretty shocked by how light and manageable it felt. Fundamentally, this is not a small console — it’s as broad-shouldered as the Steam Deck OLED or the Lenovo Legion Go S and weighs in at 1.73 lbs / 786g, which is the heaviest gaming portable I’ve gotten my hands on to date. But despite this, it never felt at all bloated, sitting comfortably in my grasp.

I’d chalk this up to its ergonomic design. On top of feeling well balanced, it offers flared grips, unlike previous iterations of the MSI Claw. These sat really comfortably in my hands, although they aren’t quite as easy to wrap your hands around as the controller-mimicking forked grips of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X.

This was also helped by the laser-etched texture of its grips, which enabled me to keep a decent grasp on the Claw. But I will say they aren’t quite as comfortable as those on some of the best Xbox controllers I’ve tested, feeling a little on the rough side and quickly getting sweaty as I tried to splat sakapatates in Clair Obscure: Expedition 33.

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ also left a pretty good impression on some of my other senses too. No, I didn’t lick it — I’m talking visual appeal here, rather than gustatory. Subtle RGB lighting around each of the thumbsticks is my personal highlight, although I’ll also give its gentle curves and Void Purple colorway honorable mentions as well. Honestly, I’m a little less jazzed about the way the screen juts out past the bottom of the device, but this does seem to be a more common look these days, with the jutting grips of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X creating a similar effect.

Speaking of screens, despite it not quite rocking the richness of the Steam Deck’s OLED display, the Claw 8 EX AI+ has a beautiful looking screen. As a result of its expansive eight-inch breadth and 16:10 aspect ratio, it rocks a 1920 x 1200 resolution, not to mention a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Every game I played always felt detailed and smoother than whipped cream under a heat lamp. Meanwhile, its 500 nit typical brightness felt plenty bright enough in most settings — on max brightness, I even found I was able to play it outside, although when I faced it directly toward the blazing August sun, it was quickly overpowered by the fiery onslaught.

Anyone familiar with previous incarnations of the MSI Claw will be pretty familiar with the layout here. The Claw 8 EX AI+ has the same combo of asymmetrical thumbsticks, Xbox-style face buttons and vertically aligned Menu, MSI Center M, View and Quick Setting buttons that you’ll have seen on previous iterations. There’s only two macro buttons on its rear, which honestly feels a bit stingy compared to the four offered by the Steam Deck and many Xbox controllers.

On the plus side, the Claw 8 EX AI+ is packing both Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers — as well as preventing the inexorable drift issues that plague potentiometer thumbsticks, Hall effect sticks and triggers also offer smaller deadzones and increased sensitivity. They’re not quite as sensitive as the marginally fancier TMR thumbsticks and triggers you see in a lot of premium controllers these days but I’m not aware of any portable consoles that offer those currently.

So for the most part, its control scheme is suitably versatile. The only area it falls a little short is the lack of built-in mouse control for games that require a cursor. Unlike the Steam Deck’s super flexible trackpads or the quirky hybrid mouse-cons offered by the Nintendo Switch 2 and Lenovo Legion Go 2, the only way I could mimic a mouse input on the Claw 8 EX AI+ was by jabbing its touchscreen with my greasy hand-sausages. That ain’t gonna cut it for some Steam and Windows games. Now, in MSI’s defense, it has never pitched the Claw as a substitute for PC gaming, but it is a shame that some sections of my Steam library will lay tantalizingly just out of reach. Of course, I could connect a mouse via USB or Bluetooth, but that then prevents the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ from being as portable.

Another criticism I have is the fingerprint scanner. While I appreciate that these narrow scanners are space-efficient, they’re not efficient in any other sense of the word. Every single time I tried to log in to the MSI Claw, I found I had to pop my pinky on the scanner three or four times just to access the home screen. Given my MacBooks’ Touch ID readers require just a single tap to unlock, I honestly wish MSI found a way to squeeze in a circular scanner here.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: performance

While the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+’s looks are impressive, what makes it exceptional is what’s going on underneath the surface. While gaming handhelds have previously involved some performance tradeoffs in return for their diminutive size, that’s not the case here, thanks to the Herculean Intel Arc G3 Extreme chipset it’s packing. MSI claims that the Arc G3 Extreme should unlock 42% faster performance on average compared to the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme that the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is rocking, although this requires a little unpacking.

Certainly, performance benchmarks alone don’t suggest the Arc G3 Extreme is leading the field. The Claw 8 EX AI+ hit 2,492 single-core performance and 12,550 multi-core performance in our GeekBench tests, compared to the 2,788 and 12,883 scores nabbed respectively by the ROG Xbox Ally X. So for raw processing power, there’s not a huge amount of light between the two chipsets, with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme taking a narrow lead.

But factor in graphical performance and Intel’s SoC absolutely spanks AMD’s. With the help of the Intel Arc GPU B390, the Claw 8 EX AI+ gets some seriously punchy 3D performance — in our 3DMark benchmarks, it scored 3,544 in Port Royal, 12,358 in Fire Strike and 6,534 in Time Spy, compared to the 2,006, 9,141 and 4,033 the ROG Xbox Ally X hit. Those are 76%, 35% and 62% increases respectively, gains which show the Claw’s graphics are seriously swole.

And that translates to some staggeringly smooth performance in-game. On Ultra settings, Total War: Warhammer 3 comfortably averaged out at 81.3fps, while on Low settings Dirt 5 ran smoother than a nitro cold brew at 95.7fps and still managed a very creditable 48.3fps on Ultra. But what blew me away most is how well it ran Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra settings with ray-tracing disabled, netting a reasonably polished 43fps — that’s downright playable and throws some serious shade on the ROG Xbox Ally X, which only managed 8fps.

Unfortunately, while these benchmarks are impressive compared to other gaming handhelds, at this price those aren’t the Claw’s biggest competition. Several of our picks for the best gaming laptops have costs in the same region and yet offer significantly better performance.

For example, the Alienware 16X Aurora with Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 and 32GB DDR5 we tested costs only a few hundred dollars / pounds more at $1,999.99 / £1,799. And yet its performance is leagues ahead of the Claw, hitting a 3DMark Time Spy score of 13,594 and Fire Strike score of 31,480 — that’s double and nearly triple the Claw’s scores respectively. Naturally, you’re not getting the same compact form factor but I wonder how much that truly matters for the kinds of gamers that are willing to drop almost one and a half grand on a pro gaming device.

Okay, enough nerding out over numbers. Time to focus on the thing you actually care about: how the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ actually feels to play.

Honestly, what the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is capable of kinda blew me away. As those benchmarks would suggest, it can offer ludicrously smooth frame rates. Playing a 2D game like Hollow Knight: Silksong, it remained rock solid at 120Hz, with all the action as Hornet zipped around the rich, mysterious landscapes of Pharloom as slick as ice on a spring day.

Granted, that might not feel like much of a challenge, but this unflappable stability carried over when I transitioned to modern 3D games. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ran at a wonderfully smooth 60fps. Rather than having to strip it down to the basic visuals required to get it running on the Steam Deck, it actually looked pretty great and ran so stably I was able to crack out counter after counter on chromatic bosses. Being able to enjoy the game on the go felt like such a novelty that I’d honestly be happy to mop up the game’s remaining optional bosses purely on handheld.

Keen to push the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ to breaking point, I even tried playing a bit of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered on Xbox. I’ll admit my expectations were pretty low here, as I’ve heard plenty of people complaining about performance issues on their 5000 series Nvidia GPUs. And yet, amazingly, it was playable.

Well, kinda. With the graphics settings on Low while in the depths of Xedilian, performance plowed along steadily at 60fps, which is truly wild for a AAA Bethesda game. However, it didn’t take long for it to start exhibiting some pretty hinky behavior — sporadically I encountered some audio stuttering and, once I entered a more densely populated open area, the frame rate dropped so far it was more 19th century zoetrope than an RPG from 2025. But I feel like most gaming handhelds would spontaneously combust if you even had the cheek to try this, so Imma still put this one in the win column for MSI.

On top of this, the Claw 8 EX AI+ seems to be able to keep a cool head during all of this. In comparison to its predecessor, the Claw 8 AI+, MSI promises the EX AI+ can achieve an extra 5W cooling capacity, 25% higher static pressure for fans, and 9% higher airflow, thanks to fans that are 0.5mm taller. I can’t speak to how accurate such granular figures are but certainly even slamming out epic boss fights or pushing the CPU to its limit, I rarely noticed the EX AI+ getting unbearably warm, which speaks to the strength of its cooling.

What the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is capable of is honestly pretty staggering. The only criticisms I have come down to software and input issues.

The Claw’s MSI Center M launcher felt a little unreliable. Occasionally, I got locked out from being able to access it — hitting the MSI button did nothing, and switching between windows just returned me to the Xbox app. On top of this, sometimes switching out to this menu then returning to a game would lock the input, meaning I could no longer use controller settings till I’d switched out and back again. That’s not a total deal-breaker, but it is a shame, given how stable the Steam and Xbox OSes feel by comparison, and shows that even the mighty MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ isn't immune to Windows 11's unsuitability for gaming handhelds.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: battery

Given its huge 80Whr battery capacity, I was expecting the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ to have some serious endurance. Unlike the ephemeral life I get out of my 40Whr Steam Deck — where I’m lucky if I get 90 minutes out of many 3D games — the whopping battery in the Claw had me anticipating some pretty epic gaming sessions. Which is why I was a bit bemused by the actual results I eked out during our benchmarks.

Running our standard PC Mark 10 Gaming Battery benchmark with all the settings switched to balanced in both MSI Center M and Windows 11, I was shocked to see the battery discharged from 100% to 0% in just 1 hour 36 minutes. So sure was I that I must have made a mistake, I recalibrated the battery using the Claw’s built-in software, revisited all the settings and ran the benchmark two more times. Despite this, I was only able to squeeze out 1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours 31 minutes on subsequent tests.

Certainly that’s not completely incompatible with my objective experience — on the console’s default AI Mode, I comfortably drained its full battery in a two-hour play session of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, for example. But that’s an incredibly demanding game, even for the MSI’s specs, and 2D games didn’t seem quite as thirsty in comparison.

So what’s going on here? Ruling out a fault with my review unit, I suspect that the capacious 80Whr battery the unit ships with is only part of the picture when it comes to the life you’ll squeeze out of it. The more important part? Its AI performance mode.

While our standard benchmarks set consoles and gaming laptops to balanced mode, the default performance mode for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ automatically adjusts its power consumption on the fly for the best efficiency in any given moment. That means the mode you’re most likely to play it on will stretch out the battery life without causing a noticeable dip in performance.

Even when the battery has run dry, it doesn’t take long to top it up again. With its 65W charging, you’d expect it to take about 90 minutes to juice up that 80Whr battery — and that’s bang in line with my experiences. When plugged into a cable capable of at least 65W, charging up the Claw only ever took around an hour and a half. However, I did occasionally experience some glitchy behavior here, with progress freezing at 98% or 99% full even when left for 20 minutes, suggesting the console’s battery monitoring software can occasionally be a touch off.

Should I buy the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review: also consider

How I tested the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

• Tested it over two weeks
• Tried playing a wide range of titles at different graphics settings
• Conducted TechRadar’s full suite of testing benchmarks

I tested the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ over the course of two weeks. I made sure to play a wide variety of games from multiple game stores, whether they were from TechRadar’s Steam library or Xbox Games Pass Ultimate. On top of this, I tried out a wide variety of games at different graphics settings, from relatively undemanding 2D games to AAA 3D titles.

When it comes to more detailed assessments of its performance, I conducted our usual suite of benchmarks. Not only did that entail getting detailed performance scores from 3DMark and GeekBench 6.5, but I also conducted a range of in-game fps benchmarks at both ultra and low graphics settings. To test the console’s battery life, I ran multiple PC Mark 10 Gaming Battery tests to see how rapidly it drained the battery from 100% and I also timed how long it took to charge the console from 0% to 100% using a cable that was rated more than its 65W max charging rate.

During my career, I’ve tested a wide variety of gaming gadgets and accessories, from wireless controllers to gaming handhelds. I’ve also invested a truly ludicrous amount of my four decades on this Earth playing computer games, whether they be RPGs, action adventure games or creative sandboxes. And while I’m a little hazy on the details, I’m told this investment will pay dividends any day now.

• First reviewed: August 2026
• Read more about how we test

Recently I’ve been playing Deathloop, Twelve Minutes and The Forgotten City: three time loop games all released in 2021.

That year produced a bumper crop of time loop games, with games released one after another in the span of three months. But while I’d first experienced — and since replayed — Twelve Minutes when it was first released in August 2021, The Forgotten City and Deathloop had been stuck in my backlog for a while, their critical acclaim placing them high on my priority list until I finally made time for them.

Time loops fascinate me because, in a way, the device is endemic to videogames. If you can’t get past a certain segment in a game, you would play through it over and over again, the repetitions of these game loops a facsimile of these temporal cycles. The key difference, at least in a time loop game, is the character’s growing knowledge of their circumstances, as they are driven to figure out why this seemingly inescapable reality is happening to them.

As such, time loop games become a nifty narrative puzzle, with new details fed to them in every cycle, while introducing wrinkles in gameplay that transform a typical game loop, be it exploration or point-and-click, into invigorating, investigative work.

What I’ve learned playing these games is that time loops are also a way to invite introspection. While Twelve Minutes is a stylishly intimate nightmare of Freudian proportions, The Forgotten City reckons with the concept of immortality and morality, set in the days of the Roman Empire.

Then there’s Deathloop, in which the very people who stay on Blackreef Island wield the time loop anomaly as a device to be abused. The games are all remarkably evocative from the very first loop, although some are eventually ensnared by the repetitive, sometimes verbose trappings of this narrative device.

And for these three games, the loops have unravelled the mysteries at their core in vastly divergent ways.

Cycles of brutality

Let’s start with Twelve Minutes, a star-studded affair that features the voice talents of Hollywood heavyweights Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy and Willem Dafoe.

A top-down point-and-click game, it begins with you arriving home after work and settling down for dinner with your wife. Some minutes later, a cop barges in to interrogate both of you, resulting in a violent scuffle that you would eventually pass out from. The cycle restarts, and you’re returning home from work once again.

It’s an extremely gripping start, and changing your circumstances means tinkering with objects in the vicinity, from a hidden, unopened present to even fiddling around with a light switch. And as the cycles inevitably continue, you’ll see patterns emerge, like your wife reading a book, or her anticipation as she waits to break an exciting piece of news. In a world where the perimeters of time have disintegrated, these become routines that you simply must disrupt in order to glean more insights.

The unfortunate reality, however, is the sheer violence it inspires. Twelve Minutes is ultimately bogged down by these cycles of brutality, with the consequences-free nature of these cycles meaning you can even stab your own wife just to see what happens. At the same time, these routines soon become dreary and tedious to relive over and over again.

Then there’s its twist ending about your wife’s actual identity, a revelation that remains just as distasteful when I experienced it again years later.

Historical loops

The Forgotten City, on the other hand, uses the time loop mechanic to tell a vastly different tale of historical fiction.

You stumble upon a portal that takes you back centuries and into an underground city in ancient Rome, where its denizens have to obey the Golden Rule at all costs: when one sins, everyone will be turned to gold.

The point is to break the cycle, and your first lead is to discover the identity of a would-be sinner who may doom the whole city. Unspooling the narrative thread that holds The Forgotten City means exploiting the time loop, as each cycle introduces new information that can reshape the outcome of its mystery.

What’s notable is that The Forgotten City takes its time to portray its denizens as folks with very personal stakes in this hellish reality, with some even bringing up intriguing theories about the Golden Rule. It’s a deftly written tale rooted in a historically accurate setting, filled with fascinating twists and turns that hardly become overwrought.

Yet some quibbles persist. The incredibly helpful Galarius will be your best guide and buddy in this city, but his tendency to dash off and fulfill tasks you’ve completed in previous cycles (so you don’t have to do them again), unquestioningly, is an oddity you’ll need to overlook, alongside some inexplicable coincidences the story throws at you.

Then there’s the game’s finale, which concludes on a cheesy and self-aggrandizing note that slightly sours the experience.

For a game predicated on tightly conjured twists and in-depth discussions on morality, it’s a pity that The Forgotten City struggles to find its footing towards the end.

Breaking the cycle

But perhaps my favourite time loop game from 2021 is Deathloop, which wields the time loop conceit without falling prey to tedious repetitions.

Like Twelve Minutes and The Forgotten City, Deathloop doesn’t steer far from the basic structure of investigating and breaking the loop, but it does inject new ideas into this formula so the cycles never feel trite. Waking up every morning at a deserted beach, you eventually realize that you’ll need to kill eight individuals in Blackreef within a single day.

It’s a seemingly impossible objective initially, but becomes within reach as you tamper with the events through your knowledge of the time loop. But rather than chuck you in a constrained space, there are four different districts, across four time periods (morning, noon, afternoon and night) to visit.

Every cycle still remains compelling to revisit even after your day ends and the loop restarts, as Deathloop drips tantalizing leads and revelations to you gradually.

Each district, too, will differ depending on the time of your visit. Certain events may render a part of the map inaccessible until a specific hour; for instance, one of your targets may be hosting a party only at night in the Updaam district, and another would be busy tinkering away at their research in the afternoon at the Complex.

Making your jaunt across these places even more hair-raising is the abrupt appearance of your arch-nemesis Julianna, the only other person on this island who retains her memories across these temporal cycles. She’s hellbent on stopping your progress, and her appearance tends to ratchet the tension to a thrilling degree.

Yet the inability to quick save and exit the game at any point is extremely aggravating. This is by design — a means, perhaps, to avoid save-scumming — but quitting the game before you exit a district means losing whatever progress you’ve made in the same visit.

One thread that ties these three games together is the need to achieve the perfect, flawless run. It’s a trait that harkens to the original, endemic loop of videogames, and therein lies the lasting appeal of time loop games as well; you keep trying, and trying again, to make sure you eviscerate every foe, uncover every conspiracy, and discover the reason behind the time loop’s existence.

You’re neatly checking off every task in the list. It’s the ultimate display of efficiency and accomplishment — a satisfying way to complete and bring these games to the finish line.

Nvidia's DLSS 5 has been nothing short of a bubbling cauldron of controversy ever since the next-gen gaming tech was first aired. That initial reception shocked Nvidia as what seemed like a legion of PC gamers took up arms and vowed, well, all sorts of colorful things — most of them involving the term 'AI slop' in some fashion.

However, there are signs that this overwhelmingly negative tide of opinion is turning courtesy of a fresh revelation this week. This comes in the form of a leak rather than anything official from Nvidia, with Team Green's only DLSS revelations at Gamescom 2026 pertaining to the current incarnation of the feature (namely DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction for better quality ray-traced graphics, alongside some interesting GeForce Now announcements).

To refresh your memory and recap — in a nutshell, as there's a lot more to it than this — Nvidia has billed DLSS 5 as a 'real-time neural rendering model' that polishes up a game's visuals using AI (without altering the game assets, and with the developer being given a decent level of control over the exact implementation).

What actually happened here was that on Friday, VideoCardz spotted that following NBA 2K27's early access going live, a DLSS 'neural rendering' DLL was discovered in the build. It didn't take long at all before modders (in the RenoDX community) fudged things to get this working in games ('SpeedLemur' being the principal modder who "made this happen").

So, in theory this is effectively our first glimpse at DLSS 5 in the wild, with those modders demonstrating what it looks like by using the third-person fling-stuff-about action-adventure Control – as seen on Reddit. However, do note that the tech is only working for application to character models for now (not the environment or objects).

Nuts and bolts

There have been some very interesting revelations from those experimenting with this apparent leak of DLSS 5 in terms of how it works, how it runs — and perhaps most telling is the broad reaction to this spillage, which I'll return to shortly.

First, the nitty-gritty. In this leaked form — so add a whole heap of seasoning, because nothing here is remotely official — DLSS 5 seems to have a small set of adjustable parameters, including seven different 'styles' and various sliders to play with intensity, tone and structure. We're told that neural rendering doesn't need much in the way of data to do its stuff, and works off much the same inputs as regular DLSS (basic upscaling – where all this started, remember?).

It's also for Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs only (although that's still not fully confirmed, it was always likely to be the case anyway). The news on the performance front goes a bit awry, though, with the discovery that in Control the frame rate is cut in half by the AI polishing up the visuals. With an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti running Control at 4K with ray tracing on high and DLSS (Quality), the frame rate was 71 fps and it dropped to 35 fps with neural rendering.

That is, of course, a nasty hit indeed. However, this is a piece of leaked code – in an unknown state as far as the stage of development is concerned (one clue suggests that the model may date back to the start of July) — extracted and fudged to work on an old game. Given all that, we can't take this as anything like an indication of what the finished version of DLSS 5 might be like performance-wise.

Although it's at least comforting that it works in a playable (enough) manner on a single RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, because if you recall, Nvidia's demos used not one, but two, RTX 5090 GPUs. Clearly a 50% frame rate drop won't fly, granted, but Nvidia wouldn't release this neural rendering trick if the hit was anything like that, because no gamer would use it in that state.

Change in tone

What we can really take from this leak and the modding efforts thereafter is quite limited, then. But what's clear is that as mentioned, there's been a marked turnaround in the commentary and debate on the image quality on offer with neural rendering.

As one Redditor observes: "Remarkable difference in tone of the reactions compared to when the [initial] Resident Evil footage was released."

Someone replying to that says: "People freaked out about what was obviously just a bad demo, and failed to see what was actually going on with the underlying tech.

"There were a few talking about how different tone mapping fixed the issue with minimal effort, or how it wasn't actually adding/changing details, and it turns out they were correct. People freaked out over nothing imo."

Another gamer notes: "This looks like legit magic. I was saying this when the reveal happened and people wanted to burn Nvidia down: the tech is amazing, the demo might be off because it's too heavy handed, but the tech itself is incredibly impressive."

And a further Redditor enthuses: "Insanely huge graphical update. There's no going back."

You get the idea, then, and it's quite an eye-opener how many comments there are along these lines. Quite a lot of gamers are impressed by this leaked spin on DLSS 5 — and I can see why, frankly, at least with the Control material presented here.

And remember, this is with DLSS 5 working on character models, with the facial tinkering and tweaking being one of the main causes of concern with Nvidia's initial demos. The likes of Flight Simulator addicts are positively drooling about what this might mean for the graphics of the landscapes beneath their virtual wings.

And there's a lot of excitement about how the tech might be applied to older games like Control to make them look a good deal better.

Skeptics remain

Naturally, not everyone is convinced. The detractors remain and are unswayed by the material which has popped up around this leak so far. They argue that the AI-enhanced Jesse (Control's protagonist) is still all too 'uncanny valley' in appearance, and that DLSS 5 is still very much a visual downgrade.

Others also worry that there aren't enough fine-grained controls for the developer in what we see here. Although again, we can't take this leak as evidence of what DLSS 5 will turn out to be eventually, whether that's the end result of the graphics themselves or the suite of dev controls under the hood.

The performance hit has been seized on, too — as noted, though we can't judge on that yet, not with an early leak — and some feel that while screenshots might look good, this doesn't hold up in motion.

Simply put: it is still too early to judge, and we need to grab large handfuls of seasoning with all this. But the general sentiment on DLSS 5 appears to be turning around in quite a sizable shift of opinion — and Nvidia may yet convert PC gamers to its AI-enhanced vision of the future (providing any performance hurdles are cleared, of course).

At Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, fresh off Samsung's reveal of its 2027 Odyssey OLED lineup, I sat down with two of the people shaping the company's monitor and TV strategy: Jeremy Demont, Product Management Director for TV, Sound and Monitor at Samsung UK & Ireland, and Pepe Dijkstra, Head of Monitor for Samsung's European visual display organisation.

We chatted about everything from the prevalence of 1000Hz and higher refresh rate screens to 6K gaming, the brand's ongoing commitment to glasses-free 3D and how important strong partnerships with eSports professionals and studios are to getting the best out of screens.

A triple mode screen is more useful than you might think

Triple mode gets its debut on the new Odyssey OLED G8, a 32-inch 4K tandem QD-OLED panel that runs at 360Hz natively, drops to 1440p resolution for 520Hz, or goes all the way down to Full HD for 680Hz.

It's a first for Samsung: dual-mode switching already exists on its 6K panels, the ultrawide G9, and other, more conventional choices, but triple mode isn't something that can be patched in later via firmware. Dijkstra confirmed it's baked in on the panel side.

I pushed on whether this is solving a real problem or just adding a marketing bullet point. Halving your resolution to double your refresh rate is a genuinely large image quality penalty, so a middle ground – dropping from 4K to 1440p rather than all the way to HD – makes sense on paper.

However, Dijkstra was refreshingly candid about the uncertainty here: "If it's high-end gamers, they'll definitely benefit. But if the average Joe Bloke buys the gaming monitor, are they actually going to use it practically?" He described it as something Samsung still needs to watch play out once the hardware reaches the market, and said community feedback will directly shape what comes next.

1100Hz might not be the limit, after all

The number causing all the excitement is 1100Hz, supported by the new Odyssey G6 G60H – a 1440p Fast IPS panel that runs at 600Hz natively, but which can drop to HD resolution to unlock that 1100Hz ceiling, the fastest refresh rate I've seen on a gaming monitor to date. It wasn't long ago 500Hz felt like an extreme number, so I put it to Dijkstra directly: is there a point where refresh rate just stops mattering?

He didn't dodge the eSports-only framing. "If you deliver only 1100Hz and focus purely on eSports, that's a small market," he told me.

The reasoning behind Samsung's dual- and triple-mode panels, he explained, is about giving that headroom without forcing everyone to live with it – you can drop back down to a lower resolution for everyday use rather than running flat-out all the time. Whether the industry pushes past 1100Hz next, he wouldn't commit to. "If we go faster in the future, we'll have to see."

6K gaming screens have a genuine purpose outside of vanity

I've used 6K panels in a professional context on a few screens in the past, but never on a gaming screen, and 4K is already a heavy ask for most GPUs. So who is Samsung's 6K gaming monitor for?

Dijkstra's answer leaned on future-proofing rather than the present day: those with high-end PCs can already drive that resolution, and the dual-mode option covers anyone who can't.

It's worth noting the new G9 ultrawide also carries a dual-mode option of its own – 5120 x 1440 at up to 360Hz, or 'dual HD' at 2560 x 720 for 720Hz – so the same philosophy runs across Samsung's 2027 range rather than sitting in one flagship alone.

Likewise, he noted that the option for a 6K gaming screen offers a higher refresh rate than the professional screens on offer with the same resolution, which are stuck at 60Hz. Offering a higher refresh rate at that detail level aids both responsiveness for productivity tasks and helps where it counts for games, too.

After all, as both he and Demont noted, people are buying monitors for more than one purpose, so a 6K gaming screen covers off the pros who need the detail for high-res creative work and the gamers who have a beefy enough system to play games at 5K or 6K, assuming the game supports the resolution of course.

Glasses-free 3D is back – but content, not hardware, is the bottleneck

Samsung has kept glasses-free 3D alive longer than most of the industry, and at CES it showed a 6K, 32-inch glasses-free 3D panel. At Gamescom, it reaffirmed its commitment to glasses-free 3D and the importance of working with developers to keep the dream alive.

Dijkstra's framing was that the previous failure wasn't really a hardware problem – it was a content problem. "People were mind-blown by the product capability, but it's the content" that lagged, he said.

Rather than pour more resources into pushing the panel technology further, Samsung's product teams have shifted focus toward securing AAA game support, headlined by the newly announced Cyberpunk 2077 3D compatibility. It's a bet that immersion sells itself to gamers specifically – people who already spend hours in front of a screen – in a way it never quite did for passive TV viewing.

Demont drew the TV parallel further, comparing it to Samsung's early, unpopular push into 4K resolution at a time when broadcasters barely had any programming in such high-resolution or the likes of the BBC had caught up: "We can't just do it by ourselves, we need the whole industry behind it."

He sees HDR10+ gaming following a similar adoption curve to HDR10+ on TV, where streaming giants like Prime Video and Netflix moved quickly once the ecosystem made it easy to support. Samsung's own numbers back that up: the new Call of Duty is among the titles confirmed to support HDR10+ gaming, with more than 20 games expected to carry the standard by the first half of 2027.

OLED burn-in isn't as big of an issue as it used to be

Samsung has introduced a new fifth-gen QD-OLED panel for a lot of the new monitors it announced at Gamescom, which features the brand's Penta Tandem tech and an RGB stripe sub-pixel layout for greater power efficiency, longevity, and sharper text.

Compared to the quality of OLED panels for gaming monitors when they were first introduced, this tech has been through several generations of optimization and improvement.

At the time OLED gaming monitors were first introduced, it seemed you couldn't go five minutes without someone talking about burn-in (an issue with early OLED panels where static images that were displayed for too long could damage the screen). Now, both Demont and Dijkstra tell me it's virtually a non-issue. It's barely raised internally anymore, sitting towards the bottom of presentations as an improvement point.

Demont also noted that the improvements made to the OLED panels is a particularly good thing, especially because "if we can increase the product lifecycle or the durability of the product, that's all in the benefit of that end customer". After all, a high-end monitor or TV is a big purchase, and it's important that it lasts.

For what it's worth, my own two-and-a-half-year-old 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED monitor has never shown a hint of burn-in – though the new Odyssey OLED G8 is, I'll admit, tempting me to upgrade anyway.

Pro feedback filters down for monitors, too

On the subject of product development, Dijkstra confirmed Samsung takes direct input from eSports professionals – citing an ongoing relationship with a multiple-time League of Legends world champion in Korea, where the eSports scene is especially demanding. "Their team plus others are just continuously pushing back that feedback," he said.

The trickle-down effect is vital to this, according to Demont – Samsung's stated strategy is to introduce new technology at the top of the range first and cascade it downward over time, never the reverse – something he framed as core to protecting the end customer's investment in what remains a significant purchase.

Monitors and TVs are converging – deliberately

Perhaps the most interesting part of the conversation was Demont noting that Samsung is folding its monitor team into the same visual display division as TV in the UK, given the convergence between them. We're at a point where some desktop monitors are the same size as TVs; this also works the other way, as people can use TVs as monitors, either on a desk or with a living room PC.

He was upfront that this decision is about capturing overlap: customers can opt for an equally rich spec TV or monitor depending on their situation, and there is an overlap in certain features for a consistent experience whichever product you go for.

For instance, some of the brand's smaller-sized OLED TVs boast a 165Hz refresh rate, while there are specific variants of some of its gaming monitors that come with its Tizen OS smart TV operating system built-in.

I maintain Tizen's presence on monitors is one of the more underrated moves Samsung's made recently: a screen that's a smart TV in one moment and a 240Hz gaming monitor in the next, with Samsung's Gaming Hub meaning you don't need a console or PC to access cloud gaming services like Xbox and GeForce Now.

We all agreed that this remains a surprising niche, and Demont stated Samsung is trying to change this with its TVs through retail bundling with the likes of Argos and Currys in the UK by offering incentives such as free controllers or game vouchers tied to TV purchases, specifically to get people asking what "Gaming Hub" actually means.

The bigger picture

Both executives repeatedly came back to the idea that Samsung's scale is its advantage: a portfolio broad enough to cover a 49-inch ultrawide monitor, a portable outdoor TV, and a glasses-free 3D gaming panel simultaneously, developed with a genuinely global customer base in mind rather than any single region's habits.

Demont pointed to the brand's clever Movingstyle TV, originally designed with Southeast Asian markets in mind, that ended up selling worldwide once its appeal proved broader than expected.

Whether triple-mode refresh rates or glasses-free 3D end up following that same trajectory – from a niche flex to a more mainstream feature – is, by Samsung's own admission, still an open question the company is waiting for customers to answer for them.

• Digital Foundry says getting Grand Theft Auto 6 to run at 60fps on current-gen consoles is "extremely unlikely"
• The tech experts say the 30fps footage from the Extended Look was "the most impressive example of real-time game rendering" they've seen
• It says the eventual PC version running at 60fps would be "genuinely challenging"

Tech analysts have suggested that getting Grand Theft Auto 6 to run smoothly at 60 frames per second would be a massive challenge on console.

After Grand Theft Auto 6's Extended Look, which finally offered a deep dive into Rockstar's biggest game yet running on the base PS5, reports confirmed that the game will run at 30fps on PlayStation and Xbox, with the possibility of 60fps being added post-launch.

That's no surprise considering the scale and how hyper-realistic GTA 6 looks, but according to the tech experts at Digital Foundry, it may be impossible for current-gen consoles to even hit 60fps.

Speaking about last night's extended look footage, the folks at Digital Foundry said it looks like "the most impressive example of real-time game rendering" they've ever seen; the gameplay shown is "relatively stable and well-paced 30fps output, with only very occasional single frame drops (though the nature of the 30fps asset means there could be more, unseen)."

It's believed that, while 30fps might seem low for a current-gen title such as GTA 6, Rockstar appears to be targeting this level to maximize the game's level of visual detail.

"It's clear that the focus was absolutely maximizing the level of visual detail at a fixed 30fps frame rate on all platforms," Digital Foundry wrote. "The rendering, simulation and presentation have all been tuned around that constraint — and the result is an unprecedented level of density, material quality and world coherence, with trade-offs landing primarily in image quality and animation smoothness rather than systemic scale or fidelity."

It continued, "The evidence suggests that the game maintains its 33.3ms cadence with care, and Rockstar has clearly spent immense effort balancing CPU and GPU workloads to fully saturate the hardware."

For this reason, Digital Foundry believes "a 60fps version extremely unlikely on console hardware — there's no way to regain enough GPU and particularly CPU time to make a 16.7ms update rate work without compromising the world."

It also suggests that the game could look better on PS5 Pro, thanks to the console's powerful GPU with PSSR upscaling, but Rockstar has yet to reveal official gameplay running on the hardware.

As for the eventual PC release, which hasn't been announced yet, "some level of caution is required" as while the platform could allow higher resolutions and benefit from upscalers like Nvidia DLSS, the CPU demand of GTA 6's complex world could "make hitting 60fps genuinely challenging in a way we don't often see, and will likely require a high-end CPU like a recent Ryzen X3D to avoid bottlenecks."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and Rockstar has confirmed that the game can take up to 80 hours to beat.

• Grand Theft Auto 6's hand-crafted NPCs have over 600,000 animations
• Rockstar North co-head Aaron Garbut says Rockstar established a new team that art-directed every single NPC
• Garbut says every single room and the NPCs inside them were hand-crafted

To achieve the grand scale and realism we witnessed this week in Grand Theft Auto 6's extended look, the development team went above and beyond, according to Rockstar.

In an interview with The New York Times about the game's development, Rockstar North co-head Aaron Garbut revealed that the studio established a new Los Angeles-based team of writers, directors, and producers to focus solely on realizing non-player characters (NPCs).

"We art-directed each individual one of them," said Garbut, revealing that GTA 6 has over 600,000 animations, compared to GTA 5's 55,000 and double Red Dead Redemption 2's 300,000 animations.

"Every room in the game, somebody thought about this," Garbut said. "Who's sitting where, what they're drinking, the marks that are left on the table. The pictures on the wall will have the people that are in that room, with their tattoos on their arms and their family behind them. That whole thing has been made, and built, and photographed, and placed in this random room in a random building in a huge city, in a world."

Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, also emphasised that the game is "an evolution" of what the studio achieved with Red Dead Redemption 2 and its impressive gameplay systems.

"Once we managed to accomplish that level of interactive fidelity in a more sparsely populated version of America 100 years ago," Nelson said, "we were already imagining what it would be like if we could do that at the scale and density of a modern environment."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and a new report has confirmed that the game will run at 30fps on consoles at launch.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 can take up to 80 hours to beat
• Rob Nelson, the head of development, says it took him 80 hours, including the main story and some "optional goals with narrative ramifications," to complete the game
• This makes GTA 6 Rockstar's longest game yet

I hope Grand Theft Auto 6 fans have booked enough time off work, because the game will take up to 80 hours to beat, and that's just the main story.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, revealed that his playthrough took 80 hours to finish, including the main story and some "optional goals with narrative ramifications."

Though we don't know what these "optional goals" are, they sound like side quests that affect the story's outcome, such as personal missions that could pertain to either Lucia or Jason.

This means the game can take up to 100 hours, possibly more, if players want to spend time exploring Leonida and Vice City, engaging in interactive activities, completing side missions, and messing around in the vast open world.

"I hope that there will be people that want to get up, have a cup of coffee, shower, get dressed, go out for a little exercise," Nelson said. "Interact with some people, explore, maybe get into some trouble. Rob some places, make some money."

For context, GTA 5's story takes around 30 hours to beat, while Red Dead Redemption 2 can take up to 60 hours. This makes GTA 6 Rockstar's biggest and longest game yet.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and Rockstar has confirmed that it will run at 30fps on consoles at launch.

If you missed out on the Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look premiere, here are 16 new GTA 6 details we learned, including new details about Jason and Lucia's romance system.

• Grand Theft Auto 6's romance between Jason and Lucia is completely optional, Rockstar confirms
• Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, says if players aren't into it, "don’t bother with it"
• He says players will need to nurture their relationship if they want it to be romantic

Rockstar Games has confirmed that the romance between Grand Theft Auto 6's co-protagonists, Jason and Lucia, is completely optional.

Speaking in an interview with IGN ahead of the Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look, Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, revealed that Jason and Lucia's relationship will be central to the story, but whether the player chooses to nurture their romance is completely up to them, and they won't be penalized for avoiding it.

"I have to say it feels great — if you are into it as a concept. Don’t bother with it if you aren’t. Up to you," said Nelson.

"The narrative is structured in such a way that the circumstances they find themselves in require them to stay together for most of the story and work together. At the very least, they will get through most things as partners in crime."

Nelson avoided talking spoilers, but he said the duo's relationship "adds a compelling element to things."

"It’s one of the reasons we wanted to approach this sort of story, because it's completely different for us," he said. "Could we bring some sort of emotional resonance to GTA for people if they wanted to engage with it? Could we also provide mechanisms for people to just opt out of it if they're not into it? If they feel like, 'I don't want a relationship in this?' That's what we're going to find out. It's not something that we want to foist upon players."

If players do want to make Jason and Lucia's romantic relationship flourish, however, they'll have to spend time nurturing it by spending time together in Leonida. Whether that's taking trips, holding hands, walking on the beach, or doing crime together, these activities will build up their bond.

"When you bring them together, it feels like you’re a steward of their relationship, and you feel protective of them as a unit," Nelson continued. "But this is something we did not know when we started, and it really had to be something we felt our way through.

"But I will say that whether you’re getting in trouble, or you’re running from the cops, or getting in a car, or waiting for the other one — playing as them together feels very cool. It feels like you’re taking care of them, if that’s something you’re into."

Last night's gameplay showcase was filled with a mountain of new details, with a new report later confirming the game will launch at 30fps. To catch you up, here are the 16 things we learned from GTA 6's extended look ahead of the game's November 19 launch.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch at 30fps on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S
• Rockstar could reportedly add higher performance modes post-launch
• The footage from the GTA 6 Extended Look was running on the base PS5, which means everything fans saw was 30fps

Grand Theft Auto 6 won't run at 60fps and will reportedly launch at 30fps on consoles, but Rockstar Games may add more performance modes later.

That's according to YouTuber Davy Jones, a content creator who recently visited Rockstar North to preview GTA 6. Jones reported that Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, told him the game is currently running at 30fps on console during development.

Flow Games also interviewed Jones about his time at the studio (translated via Kotaku) and reported that performance could change post-launch.

"According to Rob Nelson, Lead Developer and Co-director at Rockstar North, during this development period, the consoles are running the game at 30 frames per second," the Flow Gams report reads.

"According to the director, it is still necessary to consult the technical team to determine if there will be a 60 FPS option at launch (or in the future). He also emphasizes that he does not currently have details on resolution and other technical qualities, such as the use of Ray Tracing, but the performance, for now, is 30 FPS."

For now, Rockstar also hasn't confirmed whether the game will run at 60fps on PS5 Pro.

Last night, the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look finally premiered and offered a deep dive into gameplay, cinematics, and co-protagonists Jason and Lucia.

The footage looks incredible and was confirmed to be running on the base PS5, and knowing what we do now, this means the extended look was also capped at 30fps.

As TechRadar Managing Editor Rob Dwiar puts it, "The amount of technical brilliance and sheer detail that will likely go into GTA 6 will surely translate into the amount of demand on a console’s GPU and CPU," which is why a 40fps mode on PS5 Pro would be perfect balance.

In case you missed it, here are the 16 new GTA 6 details learned from the big Extended Look, including an improved combat system, interactive gameplay mechanics, story hints, and more.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S.

• Asobo Studio played A Plague Tale: Requiem's soundtrack while motion-capturing Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• The cast would listen to the game's music to get into the right headspace for emotional scenes
• SPEAKER 3 says it helped "get into the sadder moments, the darker moments"

Asobo Studio has revealed that it used A Plague Tale: Requiem's music while motion-capturing Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, so the cast could get in the mood for the darker scenes.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming during Gamescom, developers Valérian Robert (lead level designer) and Carol Ann Bañuls (lead writer), and the actor for the game's protagonist, Sophia, Anna Demetriou, discussed the design process for the game's atmosphere and the music that goes with it.

When asked how the team implemented audio and the game's score for the upcoming sequel, Anna Demetriou explained that Asobo played music tracks from A Plague Tale: Requiem to allow the actors to get into the right headspace for emotional scenes.

"A lot of the time, for emotional scenes, we would be playing the Requiem soundtrack to help us get into the sadder moments, the darker moments," Anna Demetriou said. "So it felt really like the beating [heart] of the [Plague Tale DNA] was still in the mocap room because we were using them and using this reference for some of the hard bits and stuff."

Resonance's score was composed by Olivier Derivière and sounds quite different from any of the prior games, with an emphasis on Greek culture, as the game's setting has moved from Middle Ages France to the Greek island of Crete.

"The incredible Greek soundtrack that has been done by Olivier, I had none of that at all," Demetriou continued, "So hearing it coming out, and the whole thing's on YouTube right now, I was sat on my laptop for the day, just listening to it all, just being like, 'I can't wait to play it because I I haven't connected what we've done with this with the music yet.'"

Bañuls added that Olivier also used choir vocals to give the soundtrack a more "authentic" feel for the time period, withRobert explaining that the music is also woven into the new gameplay systems and combat.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is available today on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

The Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look is finally live! Those tuning in for the Netflix premiere were treated to 26 minutes' worth of new content about the game ahead of its November 19 launch, including huge amounts of gameplay footage, cinematics, and a deeper look into the lives of Jason and Lucia.

If you don't have Netflix, you'll be able to watch on Rockstar's YouTube channel at 9PM ET / 6PM PDT / 2AM BST / 3AM CEST.

There is so much to unpack, from a revamped combat system, interactive gameplay mechanics, story hints, and more — but to make things easier, we've gone ahead and created a breakdown of the top things we learned in case you missed it.

Cinematics and gameplay blend right into each other

The extended look began with Lucia and Jason walking into an apartment block looking to pick up a package for someone named "Boobie." For this mission, it looks like Jason is the playable character as he guides Lucia through the building and encounters some incredibly detailed NPCs.

Here, and in several other instances, the gameplay appears to instantly shift into a cutscene before the action kicks back in again. Another instance happens later on; Jason and Lucia are fleeing from the police with a client, and Jason must shoot at them out the window while Lucia evades — the scene quickly transitions into something cinematic before going back into gameplay.

At the end of the extended look, Lucia and Jason get separated on a mission; as soon as he finishes shooting some guys under player control, it suddenly cuts to a cinematic scene showing him texting with Lucia, which then transitions to her point of view, and the end of the cutscene leads to you controlling her.

There will be quick time events

During a fight scene between Lucia and an enemy at the end of the extended look, the player is prompted with a quick time event, which is surprisingly old-school for this game. But there seems to be a choice in the matter — there are two options on-screen, and in the video she picks up her heel and nails the guy in the face, making a quip based on your choice of button to mash. We get the sense this will appear throughout the game.

There will be slow-mo with enemy weak zones

Jason can be seen firing his weapon at some enemies and the gameplay suddenly slows down after he uses his his focus meter seen in the top left corner. During this same encounter, an enemy's body becomes highlighted showing red and yellow weak zones for the player — we're assuming red is a killshot and yellow will disarm or disable.

There will be disguises… lots of disguises

There were quite a few moments were we see Jason and Lucia on story missions wearing disguises with new identities when taking on certain clients, such as personal security for a party. The footage showed changing outfits being a mechanic, and we see lots of different hairstyles on Lucia — it seems like it'll be necessary, not just fun.

There's a six-star Wanted system

Unlike GTA 5, which has a five-star Wanted system, GTA 6 will have six stars. What does this mean? Well, it's one higher, isn't it?

The gun handling is better than GTA 5

Picking up and swapping out weapons looks incredibly slick; Jason and Lucia have their own weapons they can pull out on their respective weapon wheels, but they can quickly swipe up downed-enemies' weapons mid combat, too.

You can race cars in an actual track

Driving around Leonida looks amazing, but players will also be able to take part in races on an actual race track, with cars and bikes, if you want a high-speed challenge.

Lots of water activities

Players will be able to drive fanboats, jetskis and canoes, and explore bodies of water across Leonida. Admittedly, the fanboat looks a little less high-octane than some sections of the video…

You can base jump

As shot near the end of the extended look shows the player guiding Lucia to run and jump off a skyscaper before pulling out her parachute and getting an incredible view of Vice City.

Environmental destruction

During police chases, Jason and Lucia can shoot out the tires of their pursuers, which will lead to police cars flipping and crashing, causing dynamic environmental destruction that looks incredibly cinematic.

A wide range of people will hire you for jobs

While we don't know specific story details yet, it seems that Jason and Lucia have their own business going on where they'll work for an assortment of clients. They'll rob banks and stores, protect clients, deliver goods, and more. Standard GTA stuff, but it's the first time we've seen what this will look like.

You can pet the dog

It's the main thing some of us care about.

An improved HUD

The game's HUD looks way cleaner than GTA 5's, and quicker to access; switching between Lucia and Jason is as quick as pressing one button, and the weapon wheel is minimal and fast to use.

Switching between Lucia and Jason is really fast

As I just mentioned, switching between both co-protagonsits is unbelieavably fast. In one moment, you see Lucia base jumping and when the player switches to Jason, it takes just a couple of seconds — there's flash, the camera zooms into the sky, pans across the city, then zooms down into a building and we're with Jason again. And that's running on the base PS5!

You can scuba dive (and regular dive)

Players will be able to dive into bodies of water to swim, but also scuba dive to see all the pretty fish below the surface!

The weapon icon from GTA 4 returns

During combat, the equipped weapon icon from GTA 4, can be seen in the top right corner, under the Wanted stars and ammo. It was missing in 5, but 4 stans will feel a warm, familiar feeling.

• Ubisoft confirms players can't complete Rainbow Six Tactics without killing any enemies
• Game director Martial Potron says, "No, you cannot do the game 100% without killing"
• Some missions require players to kill enemies; however, they're incentivized to do non-lethal takedowns in others for valuable intel

Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron has confirmed players won't be able to achieve a 100% non-lethal playthrough.

Ubisoft has recently revealed its new Rainbow Six Siege spin-off, Rainbow Six Tactics, a single-player turn-based tactics experience that puts players in the shoes of Six, the leader of the elite Rainbow squad.

Players can choose high-stakes assignments to strategize on the tactical battlefield with 15 Operators, all with unique abilities, specialized gadgets, and distinct skill trees.

The game will also offer distinct mission types, including Hostage Rescue, Bomb Disposal, and Target Elimination, offering a variety of ways to complete each one.

Some missions require players to take down targets non-lethally to collect important intel bonuses that will help the squad in future missions. But can players do a complete non-lethal playthrough?

According to Potron, who discussed the game at length in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, you can't, explaining that some missions will require players to kill enemies who are out of range for non-lethal takedowns.

"Can you?" the game director said. "I'm thinking about it. There is no incentive to kill, but can you? I think you can't."

He continued, "We don't have missions where we force you to kill anyone. Most of the time, in fact, it's valued to arrest people to subdue enemies. But we have a few missions when sometimes you cannot reach enemies."

Porton said the game features a Venice map bisected by a river, with enemies on one side, and so there is no way to take them out non-lethally, as you simply won't be able to reach them.

"No, you cannot do the game 100% without killing," he added, "but you are strongly incentivized, as much as possible, to arrest people without killing because you will be able to really get intel from them, and it's very valuable."

Rainbow Six Tactics launches in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

Game of Thrones: War of Westeros is the franchise's latest video game adaptation, following on from several disappointing titles that feel only tangentially related to the HBO fantasy series.

But I'm pleased to report that the newest video game is the closest we've come to actually feeling like the Game of Thrones series we know and love. Finally, we have a strategy game that places us right in the heart of the Seven Kingdoms.

House Stark and House Lannister are at the forefront of Game of Thrones: War of Westeros, centering in on two of the biggest families in George RR Martin's series. Additionally, the White Walkers and the Targaryens will unlock in the full game, set for release in 2027, so there are lots of familiar faces here for fans.

The addition of the Targaryens was inevitable, as they've become big enough to get their own TV series. While you wait for House of the Dragon season 4, you can live out your own Targaryen-fronted battles via this game.

Before you read my experience playing Game of Thrones: War of Westeros, take a look at the new gameplay trailer below.

Canon complaint, but you can flip the script

If you care about the Game of Thrones factions acting like they do in the series, this next part should please you. Instead of just having the Lannister or Stark banners plastered on a random army, it does feel like you're immersed in the world.

For example, The Starks can use packs of direwolves to fight, while the Lannisters can generate resources with gold mines. So whoever's side you choose to fight on, there's enough variety to separate both factions and keep them feeling lore accurate. Even small details like this sets Game of Thrones: War for Westeros apart from other fantasy strategy games, positioning it firmly in the series' universe instead of just slapping the branding on it and calling it a day.

If, like me (and let's face it, many others), you're disappointed with the way Game of Thrones ended, you can rewrite your own story here. By taking control of well-known characters like Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Tywin Lannister, and Jaime Lannister, you can make them attack each other however you want. It doesn't quite make up for the show's ending, but it's good enough.

There's something deeply satisfying about brutally murdering Tywin Lannister, for example, which is likely a testament to just how well Charles Dance played him in Game of Thrones because he really is the worst. Speaking of, he does provide some great narration in this game. Just saying.

I'm now excited for the Targaryens and the Night King to enter the battle in the full version, as I'm sure it will only heighten the drama and danger I experienced by testing out the two factions in this demo.

Co-op support for up to four players

I only had access to 1-v-1 skirmishes in Game of Thrones: War for Westeros via the demo, but when the full game launches, it will support up to four players. You can play with other players or against an AI, meaning it's just as suited to those who prefer to play alone.

In Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, units are divided into four main types: melee infantry, ranged, mounted, and siege. Each player starts in their own zone and has to capture strongholds to claim others. Once you've done that, you're able to claim resources and create buildings in your newly conquered zones.

As far as real-time strategy games go, it's what we've all come to expect, meaning fans of the genre should settle into it in no time. That doesn't mean it's without its challenges though, and at times you have to make quick decisions and stay focused. Those who like a faster pace should have a good time with this game.

It's also a very good-looking game, and feels well polished as a result. I am looking forward to trying out the game in full, because it's made a strong impression on me so far. I only had a few minor issues, like bugs when it came to the AI opponents, but these feel easy to iron out.

Game of Thrones: War of Westeros releases on Steam in early 2027, and you can wishlist it right now. At the time of writing, it doesn't have a confirmed retail price.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 will let you play as both Jason and Lucia, or individually
• The game will also feature interactive systems that affect their weight and appearances
• Rockstar says that while these features will give players a lot of freedom, "these characters aren’t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with"

New Grand Theft Auto 6 details have been revealed, giving fans a fresh idea of what to expect from the game's narrative and interactive gameplay systems.

In a massive interview with Dazed ahead of the release of Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look, Rockstar Games confirmed a ton of new details, mainly about the game's co-protagonists Jason, revealed to be ex-military, and Lucia, an amateur fighter.

One of the main features discussed was the character-swapping system, an iconic GTA feature that allows players to "choose to either play as a couple, or go off and cause chaos independently," according to Dazed.

One scenario described finds Jason driving around, with Lucia in the passenger seat scrolling on the in-game phone that houses usable social media apps; players can switch between them seamlessly while they're together, or explore and complete missions individually.

"When the job inevitably goes wrong and spirals into a car chase, the fluid system enables players to take the wheel in one moment, then fire on pursuers out of the passenger window the next," Dazed said.

GTA 6 is the first game with a romantic pair as the co-leads, and according to Rupert Humphries, senior vice president of narrative at Rockstar, players can expect "a Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative" at the game's center.

The game will also offer plenty of customization, from clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, makeup, vehicles, and more, and it seems like Rockstar is also implementing features from Red Dead Redemption 2 with life-sim interactive systems that will affect how Lucia and Jason look.

For example, Jason and Lucia's weight can be affected by food, and "exercising visibly builds and tones their muscles." Additionally, if players let them spend a long time away from bed, on the run from police, or "on a multi-day bender," their appearances will take a toll.

While these features will give players a lot of freedom, both characters will still have complex identities within the story, with Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, explaining, "We want to enable as much self-expression as possible, without losing the essence of the characters."

He added, "The thing we love about this medium is the way these characters aren’t empty avatars that you can do whatever you want with. Their story becomes a journey you share with them."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S. If you missed it, Netflix has confirmed the runtime for the upcoming extended look, and all footage shown will be captured on the base PlayStation 5.

• Meta's official GTA San Andreas VT port never launched
• So a modder has vibe-coded a port for the Meta Quest 3
• You can play it yourself, but it's not easy

The Resident Evil 4 VR remaster on the Oculus Quest 2 was the best the platform had to offer, so a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR port was easily the most exciting news to come out of Meta’s 2021 Connect event. But it never arrived. So now modders are making up for Meta’s biggest letdown by finally bringing San Andreas to Quest systems.

In fact, there’s a whole VR porting community that connects via the Flat2VR Discord. One such member, called GeT_RiCh, has made it his mission to bring the long-promised GTA title to Quest headsets, though you will need a Meta Quest 3.

It’s still a work in progress — you can follow updates on Discord — and installing this game isn’t as easy as pressing a button. As the mod’s GitHub explains you’ll need not only this mod but an original copy of GTA San Andreas from the Google Play Store (specifically version 2.11.311 exported as an APK), a PS2 sound pack for the game, a PC, a Quest 3 headset in Developer Mode (to authorize USB debugging), and around 15GB of space on your PC and 6GB on your headset.

Plus, you’ll need plenty of time and confidence that you can accurately go through the technical steps. I was considering trying to jump into the game before writing this piece up, but quickly realized that might be a challenge.

Despite the shortcomings, the effort is pretty incredible. It’s also, interestingly, being aided by Claude, which the modder is using to help him vibe-code aspects of the software.

Say what you will about vibe coding in the wider coding world, but the tool’s apparent effectiveness at helping someone complete a long-term passion project like this is pretty incredible.

Better late than never

It’s never been officially confirmed what went wrong withMeta’s version of the GTA VR remaster but general development issues of converting all the flat games’ elements into first-person VR, problems with the Quest 2’s low processing power being able to handle the game world, profitability concerns (especially when faced with the massive profits GTA Online expansions or GTA 6 promise), or one of a dozen other possibilities have been floated.

Regardless, all we know is that after that tease, GTA San Andreas VR never managed to get out of the starting gates.

Many have questioned this decision over the years — GTA in VR would be a slam-dunk for plenty of gamers — and others have been perpetually frustrated at Meta for hyping them up into buying a Quest headset, then killing the project.

Thankfully there is now a way to sort of play San Andreas in VR on Quest. Yes, it’s a Quest 3, and yes, it’s not the simplest port to set up, but it’s better than nothing — which is what Meta and Rockstar gave us.

• The Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look will be 26-minutes long
• Netflix has released the first details ahead of its premiere later today
• It confirms that all footage shown is captured in-game on the base PS5

Netflix has revealed the first details of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 extended look, including runtime, and confirmed all footage shown will be captured on the base PlayStation 5.

The much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look is scheduled to premiere later today on Netflix at at 3pm ET / 8pm BST / August 28 at 5am AEST, giving fans a deeper look at the most anticipated game of all time.

There's been much speculation leading up to the event about what the extended look will offer, with many fans hoping for the long-awaited look at gameplay and possibly Trailer 3.

Now, Netflix has revealed additional details just hours ahead of the event, confirming that everything showcased will be captured on the base PS5.

"The new iteration in the blockbuster series comes 13 years following the debut of Grand Theft Auto V, the same year that Netflix was beginning its push into original programming," the Netflix Tudum post reads.

"Captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 5, this extended look at the next Grand Theft Auto showcases the biggest, most immersive evolution of the series yet."

What's more, it seems the runtime for the GTA 6 extended look will be 26 minutes, according to The Verge journalist Tom Warren, who shared a screenshot of the updated mobile page on X.

That's much shorter than I expected, but it's still long enough to offer a good amount of gameplay footage for fans to obsess over ahead of the game's launch on November 19.

If you're unable to watch the GTA 6 extended look as it premieres on Netflix, don't worry, because it will be available for free six hours later on YouTube at 9pm ET on August 27 / 2am BST / 11am AEST on August 28.

"Grand Theft Auto reveals have become cultural moments in their own right. The anticipation and fandom around Grand Theft Auto 6 is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the Grand Theft Auto story with Netflix members first," Brandon Riegg, VP of Nonfiction Series, said in the Tudum post.

"It’s a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming: a place where the most ambitious storytelling, from any medium, can find the biggest possible audience."

The new IKEA x Xbox collection is the talk of Gamescom, and while its absurd thumbstick stool and D-pad cushion might be head-turners, if it's affordable and actually useful gaming kit you're after, then I'd suggest looking at the existing IKEA range. The Swedish homeware titan already makes dozens of gaming-friendly products, including affordable furniture, clever storage solutions and quirky accessories.

I've rounded up my favorites below. I'm a big fan of the Malomrade desk with its built-in monitor arms, straps to stash your peripherals neatly on display, and sit-stand functionality to keep your back happy. In terms of functional storage, standouts are the Brannboll basket with its hinged arms that can turn into a stand or a handle, and the shelving unit from the same range, which has spots for all your kit and can be wheeled to exactly where it's needed.

Scroll down for more excellent gaming gear to tide you over until the official Xbox range drops at the start of October.

IKEA gaming gear — US

Jump straight to the UK range

IKEA gaming gear — UK

Samsung took to its own stage at Gamescom today to announce a slew of new Odyssey OLED gaming screens for 2027, including some very tasty world firsts.

Top of the new range is the Odyssey OLED G6 G60H, which boasts a 1440p Fast IPS panel, complete with a 600Hz refresh rate.

If that ridiculous refresh speed isn't enough, you can dial down the resolution to HD and benefit from 1100Hz, making this Samsung screen the fastest we've ever seen in that respect.

It also features AMD FreeSync Premium Pro VRR and is Nvidia G-Sync compatible.

If you want something bigger, the Odyssey OLED G7 marks the world's first 42-inch curved gaming screen in a classic 16:9 aspect ratio. It's a 4K OLED panel with up to a 165Hz refresh rate and an aggressive 1000R curve for an immersive finish.

For reference, Samsung says the G7 is some 72% larger than a typical 32-inch curved panel in its range for greater immersion, so it can fill even more of your field of vision.

Bigger and better?

The new Odyssey OLED G8 is stacked with cool-sounding features – a 32-inch 4K tandem OLED with a 360Hz refresh rate that features Samsung's latest fifth-gen QD-OLED panel with its Penta Tandem tech and an RGB stripe sub-pixel layout for greater power efficiency, longevity, and sharper text.

The G8 also supports 'triple mode', so 4K/360hz isn't your only option. Drop down to 1440p, and the screen yields a 520Hz refresh rate. Or, if that's not enough, then Full HD output at 680Hz is possible.

Port-wise, Samsung has kitted it out with DP 2.1 UHBR20, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a USB-C with up to 98W of power delivery, plus a USB hub with two downstream ports and KVM support.

For ultrawide fans, the new Odyssey OLED G9 offers a 49-inch panel with a 5120 x 1440 resolution and up to 360Hz. It also has dual-mode power with 720Hz at 'dual HD' (2560 x 720) and a fifth-gen QD-OLED panel with Penta Tandem tech.

Samsung says the Odyssey OLED G9 offers up to 1300 nits of peak brightness at a 4K resolution in a 3% window for some punchy output.

Alongside the slew of new screens, it also reaffirmed its commitment to glasses-free 3D tech, with wider support mentioned for some of the biggest titles and the presence of HDR10+ gaming in some big releases, including the new Call of Duty, and upwards of 20 games supporting the standard by the first half of 2027.

Several hours into Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, my protagonist confidently strides into a battle arena and soaks in the cheers of an adoring audience. Wielding a sizable blade and sporting gleaming gold armor, the hero then unleashes a devastating, tornado-like attack, making short work of dozens of aggressive gladiators.

Needless to say, this third installment in Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale series is a far cry from the franchise's previous stealth-focused, rodent-infested entries. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Resonance is the latest chapter in the decidedly dark, Black Death-inspired series that previously put players behind the stealthy skills of siblings Amicia and Hugo as they faced relentless Inquisition soldiers and swarms of plague-spreading rats. But Resonance is also a prequel, set 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem and starring Sophia, a returning, fan-favorite supporting character from that same entry.

Sophia's a smuggler and skilled swordsman, far more capable in battle than the franchise's previous brother and sister duo. As such, Resonance is a completely different type of game, a third-person action-adventure – with some light role-playing game (RPG) elements – that favors slitting throats and spilling entrails over sneaking in the shadows. It's a pretty drastic pivot, one that might be initially off-putting to longtime A Plague Tale players, but it generally works, allowing Asobo's beloved universe to successfully branch off into a different genre.

Like Assassin's Creed…condensed

What Resonance recalls most, especially in its first few chapters, is a more streamlined, story-driven Assassin's Creed game. Like Ubisoft's sprawling action-RPG series, it sports stunning environmental visuals and plenty of crunchy, dynamic combat – complemented by lots of brutal finishers – as well as a good deal of exploration, parkour, and stealth. Heck, the latter even allows you to deliver death from above à la Assassin's Creed's hidden-blade executions.

There's also a combat-enhancing skill tree to progress through, passive perk-granting relics to equip, and enough lore-expanding collectibles to make any member of the Assassin's Brotherhood envious. But on the plus side – especially for those burnt out on Ubisoft's bloated open-worlds – Resonance layers all these familiar elements into a far more straightforward, cinematic adventure that respects your time.

Borrowing from the best

But while it delivers, arguably, some of the AC series' best bits in a more digestible package, it also borrows inspiration from some other favorite franchises. Its prevalence of engaging spelunking and clever puzzle-solving gameplay, for example, recalls Lara Croft's greatest adventures, while its adrenaline-pumping set pieces could give Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones a run for their fortune and glory.

None of this is to say that Asobo is merely mimicking successful series' formulas that have come before. While its inspirations are obvious, they're also incredibly well realized and organically remixed into a much wider experience that feels fresh, allowing the A Plague Tale franchise to reinvent itself for this prequel installment.

And while you won't find hordes of plague-ridden rats waiting around every corner of Resonance's breathtaking Venice and Crete locations, its story is still very much embedded in the series' overarching narrative. Without spoiling too much, Sophia – it turns out – lived quite a life before taking to the high seas and helping out Amicia and Hugo in Requiem.

And like Hugo, she too is affected by something quite curious, supernatural even, that informs and shapes not just the storytelling, but the gameplay. Her mysterious ties to something quite ancient touch nearly everything in the game, from her puzzle-cracking prowess to that aforementioned gladiatorial arena battle.

But also like Hugo's blood curse, her affliction comes with more than its fair share of terrors. Sophia spends most of her time cracking skulls and conundrums in equal measure, but her swashbuckling sometimes gives way to the sort of nightmare-conjuring stretches that'd set the previous games' sibling duo desperately running for their lives.

Thankfully, Sophia also has some friends to lean on. In fact, Resonance does a fantastic job leveraging side characters to organically flesh out the world and Sophia. Rather than relying on forced exposition, the exchanges between the protagonist and her friends – and sometimes foes – flow naturally to deliver both fun banter and integral information.

Less plague rats, more plundering

Whether with a buddy or on her own, Sophia does indeed occasionally find herself in frightening situations evocative of the first two games' more nail-biting moments. These scarier, often survival-focused moments are some of the game's best, but they also take a backseat to what more often feels like a lighter, blade-clashing, plundering romp.

Again, this isn't so much a knock against the game, as Resonance does a brilliant job blending inspirations from the aforementioned properties while also layering in plenty of its own personality. But passionate fans of the previous A Plague Tale titles, craving more of their suffocating atmosphere and killer rodents, may find Resonance a tad too lighthearted, familiar, and formulaic. While it's not without its scares, surprise betrayals, and emotional gut punches, it's still very much a spirited action-adventure that draws more from Black Flag than the Black Plague.

Beyond that gripe specific to those hoping for a return to rat-infested Middle Ages France, Resonance's battle camera could have benefited from a bit more fine-tuning. Sophia's sword- and dagger-based melees are generally quite rewarding, especially once new weapons, moves, specials, and perks are unlocked and layered into her blood-spilling repertoire; there’s also some welcome nuance and depth, like stun-inflicting parries and a risk-reward system that sees you replenish a health segment with each henchman slain. But the camera can have some difficulty keeping up with all this lightning-quick action. Toss in the lack of a target lock-on, and you're occasionally left wondering what cool thing just happened off-screen.

Nitpicks aside, Resonance makes a compelling case for expanding the A Plague Tale universe, while also serving up 15 or so hours of solid third-person action-adventuring. You'll likely complete Sophia's campaign wondering what exactly the future holds for the series' other characters and narrative threads, but you also won't hold any regrets having conquered a swashbuckling romp as rewarding as a treasure chest brimming with shiny trinkets.

Should you play Resonance: A Plague Tale?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Resonance significantly expands on the accessibility options of the series' previous two installments, offering a number of visual assistance options, including UI, HUD, and subtitle customizations, as well as high contrast and colorblind modes.

Blood effects can be toggled on and off, and five different difficulty settings allow you to tailor the experience to your playstyle and skill level. These options range from a story-focused mode – that puts parrying and dodging on auto – to a deep difficulty mode for those craving the steepest challenge. Difficulty options can also be changed at any time.

How I reviewed Resonance: A Plague Tale

I completed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy's campaign in about 15 hours, but clocked in another 5 or so revisiting chapters to gather missed collectibles.

I ran the game on a PS5 Pro using my budget TCL 4K 65" TV, with HDR enabled. For audio, I tested with both the display's onboard stereo speakers and Sony's PlayStation Pulse Elite headset.

First reviewed August 2026

The Duskbloods has been one of my most anticipated games of 2026 ever since it was announced back at that first Switch 2-centric Nintendo Direct. Now, having finally had the chance to play it briefly in the game’s recent network test, I’m pretty confident it will be one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games... For the most part.

It all began with a tutorial segment that lulled me into a false sense of security. Being a solo instance, it taught all the basics of The Duskbloods like melee and ranged attacks, character skills, general game flow, and what you should be planning to do during an online match. I was able to go about these tutorials at a leisurely pace, which absolutely isn’t the case when you hop online against real players.

My biggest takeaway from The Duskbloods network test is that, during an online match, you should always be on the move. Much like Elden Ring Nightreign, it’s massively beneficial to be thinking several steps ahead. And that turns out to be quite difficult; avoiding bloodthirsty players is hard enough, but it’s even harder when you’re so tempted to stop and whiff the blood-tinged roses of The Duskbloods’ delectably macabre world.

It’s Zork’s world now, we’re all just living in it

To quickly go over the rules of engagement, matches in The Duskbloods take place over several phases, each around five minutes in length.

After selecting a Bloodsworn (the game’s playable characters), you’ll choose a point to spawn in the small-but-dense map. During the first phase, you’re encouraged to start building up Virtue by killing enemies, looting items, and lighting the skulls of corpses sat on thrones (it’s a FromSoftware game, did you expect anything less?).

Virtue comes in many forms, and can also be accrued by fulfilling your character’s Sigil requirements in each phase. Sigils are optional, but can drastically alter how you play. Sigil of a Sworn Enemy, for example, tasks you with defeating a marked opponent in each phase. Sigil of an Old Friend is the opposite, and has you seeking out another player to ally with. These are extremely useful for gaining Virtue, and you’ll need a lot of it, as the two players with the least amount of Virtue at the end of a phase are ‘culled’, removing them from the game.

On that note, I think The Duskbloods features one of FromSoftware’s most compelling approaches to co-op I’ve seen in one of its games to date. At any time, you can highlight a player you come across and request an alliance with them. If they accept, you’ll no longer be able to harm each other and can work together to build up Virtue. However, the bond is broken in the final phase in which the remaining players battle it out in good old-fashioned PvP.

Players can also engage in co-op by answering calls to help against formidable boss enemies. Doing so and defeating the boss will net you huge amounts of Virtue. However, it does so for all other participating players, too, so knowing when to partner up and when to go it alone is an important decision in and of itself.

In short, I’m already in love with The Duskbloods and its uniquely fast-paced approach to PvPvE multiplayer. Its playable characters have universal aspects, but differ greatly in skills and appearance. Deep-sea diver and human rocket Zork is a clear standout, and while he seemed a little overtuned in the network test thanks to his tremendously powerful ranged abilities, not a single one felt weak or disadvantaged.

I really can’t wait to see how The Duskbloods opens up in the full release, especially as we know there’ll be even more maps and Bloodsworn to experience. There’s no release date for The Duskbloods just yet, but it’s expected to launch sometime in 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

• Secretlab is releasing a new Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition
• The chair pays homage to Spider-Man and celebrates the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Featuring a red and black color palette, the chair features "elements inspired by Spider-Man’s enduring legacy"

Secretlab has announced a collaboration with Marvel: a new Titan Evo gaming chair inspired by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

The Secretlab Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition pays homage to the beloved superhero, and will be available in the United States, Canada, and the EU, following the successful release of Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Combining the gaming chair company's customary craftsmanship and science-backed comfort, the Titan Evo also features "elements inspired by Spider-Man’s enduring legacy, which has influenced generations of fans since his comic book debut."

I think this is Secretlab's best-looking Titan Evo variant yet, highlighting the hero's iconic suit with a red color palette, with Spider-Man's black emblem embossed on the front and back of the chair, making it perfect for any Spider-Man fan.

Upholstered in Secretlab's SoftWeavePlus Fabric, the Spider-Man Edition also features a web of silken lines on its back, with an additional nod to Spider-Man villain Venom, with black tendrils creeping along the chair's side wings and seat base.

The Secretlab Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition will be available at Secretlab.

The Secretlab Titan Evo is one of the best gaming chairs you can buy right now, designed with patent-pending cold-cure foam, a pebble seat base, and four-way L-adapt lumbar back support, ensuring comfort for long gaming sessions.

When I get an close-up look at the IKEA x Xbox collection at Gamescom, with its mix of playful designs inspired by Microsoft’s hardware and practical storage solutions that scream the Swedish retailer’s minimalist approach, I can’t get over the ridiculousness of the thumbstick stool.

It is, undoubtedly, the most absurd item in the nine-piece collaboration, which also features a squishy D-pad cushion, a sleek lounge chair, a moveable TV stand with clever cable management, a multifunctional side table, a disguised laptop stand with storage, a handy monitor stand, a shiny platter, and a swish controller display box.

And while I couldn’t see myself sitting on the stool for hours during a marathon gaming session, even if it’s surprisingly more comfortable than it looks, it’s place in the collection makes total sense.

I also get why both the stool and the cushion lead the collection because they are so immediately recognisable as Xbox icons. But as a boring man in his late thirties, I think it’s the organisational products that are more exciting.

When I look at my desk now, it’s a scattered mess of chargers, controllers, cables, and other accessories. So, the idea of a monitor stand that works as an all-in-one solution to raise my dual screens to a comfortable eye level, while offering all the hooks and hideaways I might need to tidy everything away, or put a phone on display, as well as feature space for a console, sounds ideal.

If I could have taken one item from the set away with me right that second, it would be this one. And I feel many who prefer a clear workspace while on the clock, but also like to swap to a gaming setup in the evening, will find it an invaluable desk upgrade.

I feel the same about the side table, which offers an elegant way to put away controllers, headsets, and other accessories when you’re done playing, instead of leaving them scattered across a sofa or coffee table.

There’s also enough space inside to add a charger and run through USB cables to keep your gamepads fully juiced ahead of the next session. And it’s all hidden behind some swish sliding doors, on a side table that comes on castors so you can wheel it away or blend it in with your existing decor.

"We set out to make furniture people really want in their home, not furniture they accept because it is what you need to game,” said Philip Dilé, Product Design Developer at IKEA of Sweden, when discussing the origins of each piece. All items also had one continual IKEA and Xbox representative collaborate on them to ensure both style and function were represented.

Ultimately, it's that mix of play and functionality that comes to define the entire IKEA x Xbox collection: from a comfy cushion to a compact cabinet. And while not every item might find a place in my living room or office, I can see how many would easily find their way into a gaming space to liven it up in an amusing way or offer practicality when tidiness and space-saving are important.

The IKEA x Xbox collection launches later this year from October 1.

What a difference a year makes. Back when the Nintendo Switch 2 was first being shown off in 2025, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition looked like a disaster.

Preview events allowed journalists to play a horribly compromised game with a flipbook framerate, then tellingly wouldn’t let them share any footage of it. This seemed destined to be an embarrassment of a port that would have Mario hanging his head in shame, if not outright giving up.

I don’t know what deal with the Devil the developers made to get this port in its current state, but it’s made a Satanist out of me. Elden Ring on Switch 2 is a revelation, the new gold standard that third-party ports should be judged by. It’s perfectly playable and smooth in handheld mode, with only the most minimal and unobstructive pop-in.

Even the included Shadow of the Eldtree expansion, with its increased level of visual detail and colossal wicker men enemies stomping about, runs like a dream. It’s the kind of port that restores your faith in the Switch 2. Perhaps anything really is possible on this little machine.

Arise now, ye tarnished

For the uninitiated, Elden Ring is essentially open-world Dark Souls, the brutal action-RPG that every other action-RPG has annoyingly been ripping off ever since.

So combat rewards perseverance while also punishing even the slightest mistake. Every time you die, you lose all your levelling-up currency and have just one chance to get it back. And it’s all set in a dark medieval fantasy world that’s so grim it makes House of the Dragon look like an episode of Peppa Pig.

Elden Ring takes that winning formula and blows up the scale dramatically. It’s the most confident and successful leap a series has taken to going open-world since Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is a game all about charging through gorgeous fields on horseback, because a) you’ve spotted an epic castle on the horizon you want to explore, and b) a giant is shooting arrows at you, and you desperately need to find some cover.

The Lands Between, Elden Ring’s absurdly large setting, is beautiful and deadly in equal measure. And it’s really deadly. Birds with swords strapped to their legs swoop in for the kill. Knights on horseback roar to the Heavens and are rewarded with lightning storms cascading down upon you.

Even a lowly zombie tossing a rock at you can be lethal if you’re not paying attention. Few games demand you lock in to succeed like this and fewer still reward you so immensely if you do.

Slice, spell, scream or smack?

You’re spoilt for choice on how you take it on, too. There are swords, axes, hammers, magic, curses, hand-to-hand combat (surprisingly effective, that), roaring (ditto), horseback jousting, and far more to be covered here. Stick with one weapon, and you’ll still have fun, but keep swapping out your loadout for new toys and you might just find your favourite gaming weapon ever.

The variety here is ridiculous, every dud weapon offset by another dozen inspired ones. Impressed with the last attack the latest boss fight used on you? Chances are, you can find the weapon they used on you and learn how to execute its special attack yourself.

Its world starts with traditional green fields and foreboding castles designed by architects who clearly never visited a cosy cafe once in their horrible lives. Gradually it gets more delightfully surreal, like a golden city drenched in ashes where the music is actually being performed by the enemies you’re fighting. Or a village full of dancing, giggly oddballs who’ve watched Midsommar a few too many times.

The city hidden beneath the map is easily one of the most incredible-looking environments I’ve ever visited in a videogame. Oh, and died in. Repeatedly.

Every inch of The Lands Between is occupied by monsters, warriors, dragons, and enemies who really look like giant sentient sperm, and all of them want to say a very violent hello. It should get repetitive.

Outside of the occasional puzzle, this game is basically all-combat all the time. But the sheer variety and depth to its combat system practically dares you to get bored. Each enemy is almost a puzzle in itself, as you slowly learn their attack patterns, weaknesses, and how effective they are at outrunning a horse. Not at all? Perfect, bye then!

That open-world structure helps stave off repetition too. There’s plenty of brick wall boss fights that you’ll spend hours bashing your head against. But whenever you’re stuck, you can just hop aboard your magical double-jumping horse and gallop somewhere else. It means you can be swordfighting with poison-spitting bug men one moment, and then in an epic joust with a dragon barely ten minutes later.

Barbie’s Horse Adventure 2?

You can also find alternate outfits for your horse now, presumably to finally get the My Little Pony crowd aboard the Soulslike train.

Gameplay benefits? None whatsoever, but it’s a cute novelty. I liked being able to dress Torrent up as the golden steed of one of the more irritating enemies, even if it does make them a little noisier. So if you’ve been on the fence about Elden Ring because you worried the horse wasn’t noisy enough, this is definitely the time to jump in.

The story? At first it’s about as impenetrable as Xbox’s gaming strategy. Your only hope of figuring out its mysteries is to examine every item you find, most of which contain a line of lore. There’s now a ‘recent items’ tab that shows everything you’ve recently picked up, which makes this far easier. This is my third time playing Elden Ring, and I believe I understood a whole 23% of the plot this time - a new personal best.

Two new starter classes have also been added. Heavy Knight, who’s a thickly-armored chunky boy who can tank a fair few hits. Obviously incredibly useful, but I opted for the other new starter, Idus Knight, who wields a sword that delivers a superbly satisfying double-strike.

There’s some new armor sets and weapons out there, too. These are nice touches for returning players, but hardly a reason to buy the game again if you already own it on another format.

No, the justification for that double dip has to go to handheld mode. I played this port for a solid week in handheld before remembering that I should probably see how it looks on my TV for this review. That’s how impressive it is, even if not every area is an unequivocal success. Liurnia of the Lakes probably takes the biggest hit, with a lot of foliage and scenery constantly fading in.

But vitally, none of the monsters suffer from any of that pop-in nonsense. It’s a smart trade-off to ensure that, even when the game is mildly struggling, it never puts you at a gameplay disadvantage. The fade-in is lessened docked, but naturally a little more noticeable on the bigger screen. Very occasionally when a lot of enemies are on-screen - a dragon and its dozen skeleton minions, for instance - some of the monster animation gets a little jerky. But it’s minor, rare, and even then has a certain Ray Harryhausen stop-motion charm.

I got two and a half hours of battery life out of my Switch 2 consistently while playing it, making it ideal for short flights or long train journeys (don’t start fighting a boss if your stop is coming up).

I can’t wait to stop typing these words so I can sink more hours into it. This is a major technical achievement on basically every level, resulting in an outstanding port of one of the best games ever. Essential.

Should you play Elden Ring Tarnished Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Controls can be remapped, and gestures are tied to motion controls (this can be switched off).

Subtitles are on by default, and the image quality can be adjusted when HDR is enabled, which is only available when docked, naturally.

The tutorial is still laughably bad, but help screens can at least be reviewed at any time.

How I reviewed Elden Ring Tarnished Edition

I played about sixty hours, mainly in handheld mode. Not enough time to defeat every optional boss - yikes - but I made sure to explore all the major areas, Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and anywhere I suspected might suffer from a performance dip. I was constantly pleasantly surprised.

First reviewed August 2026

It's almost midnight, and I'm still playing Bit Reactor's turn-based tactics (TBT) strategy game, Star Wars Zero Company. I'm nearing the end of a tense battle that's lasted longer than I've realized, but I'm so close to success. Only a few enemies remain, and Hawks is out of med packs; Tricks, Tel, and Luco are all low on health, and I don't want to risk any more injuries that could lead to my favorite Operators' permanent death. One mistake will cause a domino effect that ends in defeat, but I have to make a move.

I have Luco and Trick fire their blasters at a single enemy, taking them down with a lucky critical hit, before positioning them behind cover alongside Hawks. I lay a trap; with Overwatch enabled and monitoring the area where the boss and the final enemy are located, I have Tel rush ahead into position. Using all the Advantage I've accrued through the last few tactical turns, the Jedi Padawan executes her special Force action, knocking back both enemies into the zone of my team's line of sight. Even though they have no Action Points (AP) left, thanks to my planning, Luco, Trick, and Hawks fire off three more shots each, and together, we achieve victory.

Before playing Zero Company, Bit Reactor's debut game made by a studio founded by former Firaxis Games and XCOM veterans, I was concerned my lack of experience with XCOM would hinder my enjoyment of this new Star Wars story. But after just a few hours of taking on mercs and clankers, jumping to various planets via hyperspace, and getting to know my fellow Operators, I quickly fell in love.

Learn from the past, but live for the future

What I love about Star Wars, besides the lightsabers, the expansive lore, and dark side baddies, is the seemingly unlimited opportunity for new stories within the vast galaxy, far, far away.

While Zero Company is set 20BBY during the twilight of the Clone Wars, a frequently revisited era in the franchise, this story chooses to tell a story from the perspective of someone no longer tied directly to the conflict, but has been affected by it. The fact that the player character, Hawks, is a former captain in the Grand Army of the Republic is a unique premise that initially piqued my interest; they commanded the 100th Clone Company and led a campaign that led to a Trooper massacre, Trick being declared unfit for duty due to an injury, and Hawks' dismissal.

Hawks now leads the titular covert squad on a mission to take down the paramilitary cult known as The Infinite Coil and its leader, Kundri Fathom, who are all diseased by the mysterious Shadow Plague and are slowly building their forces across the galaxy.

As Hawks and Zero Company tackle this growing threat against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, the team is also dealing with their own personal issues and the consequences of warfare, whether at the hands of the Republic or the Separatists, with the story exploring themes of justice, revenge, belonging, grief, and guilt.

It's a compelling approach with surprising twists and turns that takes the story in an unexpected direction and had my Star Wars-loving heart pounding thanks to the brilliant way Bit Reactor seamlessly blends cinematic storytelling and a brilliantly formulated combat system.

This is a spoiler-free review, and I won't get into the details, but Hawks' history has interesting implications for the narrative in ways I wasn't anticipating; they're a smart, funny, sarcastic, but decisive individual, navigating being a leader who is, once again, caught up in a galactic threat. And while they're a customizable character, they feel like they belong in this universe as much as any other protagonist we've had before.

Fathom herself, as the primary antagonist, however, separate from Coil members you run into plenty of times, feels a bit underutilized throughout the story, and I was left with a desire to know more about her.

The majority of the campaign finds Zero Company trying to track Fathom down while she continuously eludes them and works from the shadows, which means there aren't many opportunities for the antagonist to shine on screen; it feels like wasted potential as she's a very interesting villain with a unique motivation that compliments the broader narrative, but without that extra character exploration, especially in parallel to Hawks and their development, I was left with some unanswered questions and ultimately unsatisfied.

Wars are not won with superior weapons, but with superior strategy

I stand by what I wrote in my preview: Star Wars fans with no knowledge of TBT games like XCOM can absolutely enjoy this game. Bit Reactor has done an excellent job making a beginner-friendly, not to mention incredibly rewarding, experience when you get accustomed to strategizing on the fly and go on to achieve win after win.

Squad appearances, tailored loudouts, and the numerous specializations on offer, be it Medic, Scoundrel, Heavy, or Scout, present an unbelievable amount of player freedom, which allows for some impressive customization, as well as what seems like an opportunity for limitless playthroughs.

This is especially true when the secondary specializations are unlocked for Zero Company; I gave my Hawks the Medic spec, which allowed an extra sense of security for playing on permadeath mode, and I was amazed by how my second spec, Gunslinger, completely refreshed battles and provided new and imaginative strategies on the battlefield.

My squad for Tactical Missions typically included Tel because of her ranged Force abilities, and Trick, who can withstand getting Downed and can automatically revive during the next turn in battle; their Hero Talents came in handy when the mission was on the verge of failure, and their fully upgraded skill trees made them a must-have, especially for higher difficulty battles that featured a variety of enemies that are tougher than others.

Kabb also has a sick uppercut ability that lets him wollop enemies, while Luco has a sniper skill that guarantees a 100% hit; learning how these talents work, strategizing how best to spend my squad's limited three AP should have been stressful, but the process was just awesome.

Continuously maneuvering across ever-shifting and lovingly crafted isometric maps wrapped in an authentic Star Wars atmosphere, outplaying a contingent of droids, deadly Coil soldiers, and syndicate members with just wit, and mixing and matching team builds to your preference with a ton of options to experiment with; all of this offers an immensely rewarding gameplay experience that continuously delivers.

No Tactical Mission feels the same, and even when they take longer to complete because of their difficulty level—and believe me, they can take a while—it doesn't matter, because the sense of accomplishment I felt after every mission was worth the time.

Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship

The campaign is also strengthened by Zero Company's interpersonal relationships, consisting of multiple colorful characters, including a loyal ex-Clone Trooper, a Mandalorian turned bounty hunter, a sharp-tongued Umbaran sniper, a Jedi Padawan without a Master, and more.

The game leans into role-playing game (RPG) systems by melding TBT gameplay and Bonds, a relationship approval system vital for unlocking features like new talents, focus points, and stat bonuses. Similar to Bioware's dynamic relationship system found in Dragon Age and Mass Effect, minus the romance and branching dialogue trees, Bonds are deepened by completing each character's personal questline, how you approach Operations, or how you respond in conversations.

Zero Company's Bond system is great, and I know it's primarily a TBT strategy game; however, I can't help but think it would have benefited even more if it went harder with the RPG mechanics, like additional dialogue choices, to really reinforce and shape those Bonds.

Characters may also have negative opinions of each other, and it's pretty fun, and essentially the key to success, to purposefully pair them together during missions to make them grow closer with the benefit of improving their loadout and unlocking new combat synergies.

Outside of missions, it's pretty neat how Operators, even the ones you can create and recruit yourself, can be found around The Den having conversations and revealing a bit more behind the curtain; the switch to a third-person perspective here also brings a personal touch to these relationships, making them feel alive in their environment.

Alongside other characters like Runa and Bennic, authored Operators have so much personality with their own motivations and perspectives, with stellar performances from the ensemble cast; they're not just soldiers along for the ride, and while some pairings have more fleshed-out Bonds that are more ingrained in the main campaign than others, like Trick and Luco, they're equally memorable.

Whether it's Tel, Jae, Kabb, or particularly Trick, they feel like the backbone of the narrative and are as authentic to the Star Wars world they occupy, which is why when/if a character is killed in permadeath mode, the loss is truly felt.

This feature is a must if you want to up the risk factor during missions and truly heightens the stakes as you build these meaningful relationships, even if it means you'll be locked out of some pretty amazing missions if Operators die.

I had some issues during my preview session, mostly frame rate problems that took me out of the experience, but I'm happy to say performance has been vastly improved with my review copy on PC. With my mid-to-high range build, which consists of an Nvidia RTX 3060Ti graphics card and Ryzen 7 5700X 8-Core processor, the gorgeous cinematics and gameplay frame rates were consistently high, hitting 60fps the majority of the time, with the odd dip to the upper 40fp to lower 50fps range occasionally depending on how visually busy the scene is.

I also didn't encounter any significant performance snags, either. Bugs are almost non-existent, aside from a few encounters during conversations and cinematics where audio didn't sync correctly and tactical turns sometimes took a little longer to load from the enemies' side; otherwise, I had a pretty smooth experience.

Should you play Star Wars Zero Company?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Star Wars Zero Company is a bit short on accessibility features, having only standard vision settings like text size and color blind mode, as well as a motion reduction setting for on-screen action.

How I reviewed Star Wars Zero Company

I spent just over 40 hours playing Star Wars Zero Company on my gaming PC with my Logitech G G715 wireless gaming keyboard and Logitech G703 wireless gaming mouse. I used a Gigabyte M32U gaming monitor and my Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for audio.

First reviewed August 2026.

I played an hour of the new Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen expansion and walked away impressed by its gameplay loop and improved performance (on PlayStation 5), and instantly saw what Capcom is aiming for.

In Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, players must journey through Norgan, an abandoned region in the north, and join forces with a mysterious new character to uncover the secrets of an undying Fallen Dragon.

In that process, you must find and appraise gear, skills, and weapons known as 'spoils' or 'relics' obtained through exploration and by defeating new, formidable foes to stand a chance in the unforgiving region.

If this sounds a lot like the mechanics of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, you're on to something because the appraisal system is effectively identical to Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's purification of cursed items, which provided some of the most powerful gear available in the game.

That same concept is applied in Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen's Norgan region, but with a bigger explorable map instead of a dungeon-only layout and presumably even more spoils to be found.

Better than its predecessor?

It's only natural to compare Capcom's two Dragon's Dogma expansions, considering the similarities. However, after my time with its latest offering, it's hard (and frankly too soon) to conclude which holds the best experience.

Fortunately, some of the pain points from the base game experience in Dragon's Dogma 2 have been addressed, as the major patch (arriving at the end of August) was included in the hour preview I played.

Finally, there's enough time to explore and loot areas without being bombarded by enemies every minute — enemy encounters are still frequent, but during my journey to the first major boss, it felt good not to have hordes of goblins constantly spoiling the fun.

Performance is also significantly improved on the PS5. Bear in mind, I didn't have access to any frame rate overlay and couldn't visit the base game's regions (and I originally played the base game on PC), but it definitely felt like a constant 60fps, even in the most intense battles.

I didn't have plenty of time to explore many of Norgan's points of interest, but from acquiring a pet dire wolf, stumbling upon a frost-breathing giant, and finding level 3 skill spoils for the new Trickster and Magick Archer vocations, it's clear that Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is the bigger expansion.

For example, Magick Archer now has an enhanced version of Arctic Bolt that becomes available by appraising one of the skill spoils, known as Glacial Bolt. This works wonders against bosses, with increased damage and the ability to freeze them in place for pawns to rally and attack.

Harpies are also heavily present in Norgan, but with new designs and attack patterns, notably a more aggressive attempt to grab the player or their pawns. Some of the enemies I spotted in the preview were essentially reskins of those from the base game, but like the harpies, new maneuvers and attacks set them apart.

Fighting the Fallen Dragon was a surprise too, an epic main boss encounter that I wish didn't end so soon — especially with one surprising moment I didn't see coming (which I won't spoil), but left me wanting more and curious to see just how many formidable foes await the Arisen in the full experience.

It's worth noting that there are also twelve new dungeon challenges to be found across the base game in addition to Norgan's content. Again, I didn't get to see them, but if the caves and smaller explorable areas I found in Norgan are anything to go by, with lootable chests and some new foes to fight, there'll be a lot to look forward to in those dungeons.

While I did have fun exploring Norgan, I'm cautiously optimistic about what the full experience has to offer. Bitterblack Isle's dungeon may have offered little in terms of exploration in a smaller map, but the sole focus on combat allowed vocations (or, in other words, classes) to work best in closed spaces in the first Dark Arisen, particularly Magick Archer and its Ricochet Hunter skill.

My main concern is that neither Norgan nor the additional twelve dungeon challenges will double down on those indoor and closed-space environments from Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and the new enemy and boss types may not be diverse enough to keep combat encounters entertaining.

Nonetheless, I'm very much looking forward to getting my hands on the full expansion, especially since Capcom is seemingly fixated on delivering a vastly improved version of Dragon's Dogma 2 with the highly anticipated pre-expansion patch.

We won't have to wait long, as the expansion is set for launch on October 9, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Metro 2039 will have a speaking protagonist called The Stranger at the center of the game's story
• Executive producer Jon Bloch says players will learn how the character feels about unfolding events
• He adds that a silent protagonist wouldn't have allowed 4A Games to tell the story properly

Unlike the core Metro trilogy, Metro 2039 will feature a new speaking protagonist, The Stranger, which allowed 4A Games to tell a darker, more personal story.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming about the real-life impact the Russia-Ukraine war has had on the studio's upcoming game, creative director Andriy Shevchenko and executive producer Jon Bloch also touched on the sequel's new protagonist and how his motivations are at the center of the story.

"We've also gone way darker with the story," Bloch said. "It's a lot more personal story. The story is directly about our protagonist, The Stranger, about him, about his history, about the things he struggles with, about his singular motivation for what he's doing."

Artyom is the established main character of the preceding games, Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus, and is a silent protagonist, while Metro 2039's The Stranger is fully voiced, allowing players to hear his thoughts throughout.

According to Bloch, this shift enabled 4A Games to more deeply explore who the character is, how he feels about unfolding events, and "what's inside of him."

"It goes hand in hand with telling a personal story," he added. "If we stuck with the silent protagonist method, we wouldn't be able to tell this story properly."

Metro 2039 will release in February 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• Metro 2039 will feature the return of the claustrophobic metro tunnels
• Executive producer Jon Bloch says the game "goes back to the roots" of the series
• However, the team didn't want to "ditch everything that we did in Metro Exodus," and the game will still offer open-world zones

Metro 2039 executive producer Jon Bloch has explained how 4A Games has balanced the return of claustrophic metro tunnels and open-world zones.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Bloch explained that it was a priority to bring back the tunnels, which were mostly absent from the previous game, Metro Exodus, since most of the experience takes place above ground.

"Metro 2039 goes back to the roots," he said, "and brings back a lot of that deep, dark, claustrophobic, thick atmosphere tunnels, like the spookiness, all that stuff that we love from those first two games."

Bloch continued, saying, "We didn't want to ditch everything that we did in Metro Exodus that was great and all the things that we learned. So there are different elements throughout the game.

"This game is a story-driven game. It's like we've said before, it's a very personal story. He's [The Stranger] on a singular mission, and in order to tell that kind of story, we're able to actually utilize a lot of the design methodologies from the earlier games. And in order to really make sure that the story is compelling, it's immersive."

Creative director Andriy Shevchenko added that the games are all in the same universe and the team took "the best parts" from each for Metro 2039, explaining that players will feel "freedom" and the danger from the open-world zones.

"Every step forward, the farther away you are from your station or from your safe place, the more dangerous it's supposed to be," Shevchenko said. "But as John mentioned, we are a story-driven game, and to drive story without bottlenecks or our pure metro corridors is almost impossible."

The developer reiterated that it's impossible to translate that sense of danger in just an open world, saying, "That's one of the reasons we're getting back to our dark underground roots."

Metro 2039 arrives in February 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. The developers have also confirmed that the team has prioritized optimization across all platforms, not just PC.

• Metro 2039 creative director Andriy Shevchenko discusses how the Russia-Ukraine war has impacted the game
• The developer says, "We are not afraid to call evil evil"
• He adds that there are "no gray zones" in the story

Metro 2039 creative director Andriy Shevchenko has shared how the events of the Russia-Ukraine war have manifested in the upcoming first-person shooter.

The next installment in the Metro series was revealed earlier this year and is expected to deliver another dark survival story set in the heart of the Moscow metro, where the last survivors of the nuclear apocalypse struggle to exist.

At the time, Bloch explained that the team at Ukrainian studio 4A Games had everything planned for the next chapter, until it all changed in 2020, and "more significantly in 2022" with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, the studio "changed the story to be even more about choices, actions, consequences, and what you have to pay to have a future."

"Now war is our reality, and our message has shifted to be about the circumstance, the cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom," Shevchenko said.

Now, in a new interview with TechRadar Gaming alongside executive producer Jon Bloch, the developers explained how the real-life impact of the ongoing war has influenced the game's messaging and the story's moral core.

"We are not afraid to call evil evil," Shevchenko said. "If you see evil, we now have a protagonist [The Stranger] who can talk, who can share his own thoughts. He will call this character, this situation, this story element evil. It is bad. And there are no gray zones."

While neither could delve into the details, the creative director said the game will feature enemies, and the antagonist, Führer Hunter, has enemies as well, and "the enemies must be destroyed from both sides."

"But who is your enemy?" he teased.

Metro 2039 is slated to launch in February 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• Executive producer Jon Bloch reveals Metro 2039's audio system has been rebuilt and "reimagined"
• Bloch says the new system supports the game's "dense atmosphere"
• 4A Games' newest game engine also offers a sense of realism in both visuals and audio

4A Games has confirmed that Metro 2039's audio system has been rebuilt to offer a deeper sense of immersion.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, where creative director Andriy Shevchenko and executive producer Jon Bloch discussed Metro 3039 at length, the pair revealed that the newest version of the studio's engine has allowed the team to take things to the next level, whether that's improving the visual density of the game, having full ray-tracing, or an overhauled audio system.

When asked how the audio design is key to bringing the game's post-apocalyptic world to life, Bloch called it "hugely important," and said the audio team will come in after the level designers have completed their work to add in all the effects players will hear.

"They need to see what elements are in there," Bloch explained. "If there's water that needs to be dripping or, you know, if there's a machine in the corner, like that kind of stuff, like they have to wait for level artists to do their thing first.

"But it's hugely important, and it's one of the reasons why we spend so much time and energy overhauling the audio system; the entire audio system has been rebuilt."

Bloch continued, explaining that the audio system hasn't necessarily been built from the ground up, but built upon and "reimagined in a way to really support thick, dense atmosphere" on top of the refined visuals.

"The audio system is more dense," the developer said. "There's a lot more going on. There are a lot more things you can hear. There's a lot more variety when it comes to, you know, even simple things like footsteps on different materials on the ground. Every bush makes a sound when you touch it.

"The dynamics of how the player moves and what you hear in his equipment and his suit, like things that might normally be forgotten as a really important thing in some games, like the level of detail, the granularity that the audio department can get to is more than we've ever been able to do in Metro games, certainly."

Metro 2039 launches in February 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• Metro 2039 creative director Andriy Shevchenko says the new game engine allows for "billions" of objects
• Executive producer Jon Bloch reveals it enables 4A Games to create a realistic and dense world
• Bloch says the team is working to optimize the game for lower-spec, as well as high-spec, systems

Metro 2039 creative director Andriy Shevchenko has revealed that 4A Games' latest game engine allows for "billions" of assets to create a dense, realistic world.

In a new interview with TechRadar Gaming, Shevchenko, alongside executive producer Jon Bloch, discussed how the new engine enabled the team to overhaul the game's audio system, enhance ray-tracing, and improve visual immersion by increasing the density of objects and characters.

"We're able to push so much more into the world to make it that much more realistic, that much more alive feeling, that much more tactile," Bloch said, adding that these improvements also come with challenges of balancing these features and ensuring the game is "performant."

"I would say probably the most striking on the surface thing is going to be the density of what you see in the picture of all the objects," he said.

Shevchenko added that during the development of Metro Exodus, the game engine could support up to 30 million objects, but it supports "billions of objects" for Metro 2039.

"It's all to give freedom for level art, level design, all [the] people working on this level, [to] do whatever you want," the creative director said. "We have almost endless limits. And we are reaching these limits every time."

As Bloch said, these impressive technical leaps also come with challenges, with Shevchenko explaining that there's some "black magic of balancing" and "getting rid of something really unnecessary and focusing on really cool things. But it's a really user-friendly engine," with "limits only in your head."

Metro 2039 will be multiplatform, launching on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC, and Bloch explained that it's one of the team's priorities to make sure the game is optimized across all platforms.

"We don't develop on PC and then port later to consoles," he said. "We're developing constantly across everything that we're going to support. So from day one, we're running on console, and so we're keeping all that in mind.

"We're optimising to the low end, to the lowest spec, and then also trying to push things as far as we can with the other platforms that allow us to push, particularly obviously with PC when new kinds of video cards come out; we're like, 'Oh, what can we do with this now?' While still making sure that the lower-spec hardware can still handle things."

Metro 2039 arrives in February 2027.

• The Future Games Show will return with three digital showcases at Gamescom 2026
• It will air on August 26, offering a look at over 40 games
• FGS Live From Gamescom will immediately follow, and the FGS Best Of Gamescom will return on August 30

Opening Night Live has officially wrapped, but there's plenty more to come from Gamescom 2026, as the Future Games Show will return with three digital showcases — here's how you can watch.

Future Games Show at Gamescom is the first of the three broadcasts and will air the same day the industry event kicks off, on August 26 at 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST / 1AM CST.

You can tune in to the digital showcase at Twitch, YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook, and GamesRadar+.

Hosted by Resident Evil Requiem stars Nick Apostolides and Angela Sant’Albano, fans can expect a guide through more than 40 games, including 13 world premieres, exclusive reveals, and developer deep dives "from some of the industry’s most exciting and creative studios."

Some of those include a behind-the-scenes look at Tides of Annihilation from Eclipse Glow Games, a closer look at samurai swordplay action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword, a new trailer for Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault from Digital Sun Games, and a trailer for Trees Hate You, a comedy adventure, and many more.

FGS Live From Gamescom will immediately follow the main showcase on August 26, hosted by FGS channel presenters Nathan and Jules, and feature more world premieres, trailers, news, and interviews from the Gamescom Koelnmesse convention centre.

This includes Apart, a new third-person adventure horror game from Turnkey Games; Nivalis Nights, a slice-of-life sim set in a cyberpunk city; a cozy coop horror game called Haunted Paws; We Are So Cooked, a 1-4 player co-op physics-stealth game; and the sequel to retro first-person shooter (FPS) Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun.

Finally, FGS Best Of Gamescom will return on August 30 at 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST / 1AM CST, and bring viewers the "best of" the Gamescom show floor, including gameplay demos, booth tours, exclusive developer interviews, and a recap of all the week’s biggest announcements.

• The first trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past has been revealed at Gamescom
• The trailer showcases Geralt, a new region, monsters, and a weapon
• CD Projekt Red level design lead Miles Tost confirms, "This is Geralt's last adventure before we pass the torch on to Ciri" in The Witcher 4

CD Projekt Red has unveiled the first look at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's third and final expansion, Songs of the Past, and it looks incredible.

Songs of the Past, which is being co-developed with Fool’s Theory, a studio whose leadership is made up of The Witcher 3 veterans, was revealed during Opening Night Live at Gamescom. While we still don't have a specific release date, the expansion's first trailer gave us a taste of what to look forward to.

We see Geralt of Rivia returning for a brand-new journey as he explores a new region, Letten, takes on creepy monsters, and wields a new chain weapon that can grapple enemies, first showcased in the first Witcher game.

CDPR Level design lead Miles Tost took to the stage during Opening Night Live at Gamescom to share a few more details about the game, including what players can expect.

"We had this idea for one more story with Geralt for a while, but we couldn't quite figure out how to fit it into our busy schedule," Tost said. "Luckily, our friends from Fool's Theory and they hired a bunch of old veteran Witcher three developers, including my mentor, Peter Jennings, and here we are today."

He continued, saying, "This is Geralt's last adventure before we pass the torch on to Ciri, and we wanted to go out with a bang. So this chain is a weapon that is new in the game, but many people, perhaps hardcore Witcher fans, will realize that this is a weapon we first showed in The Witcher 1 intro, and we will talk about that in many more things here at Gamescom."

On Letten, Tost called it "a whole new, unique region that has a unique identity," filled with quests, new monsters, adventures, and exploration.

"Just like the things that Witcher fans love," he said. "But it's an almost uncannily idyllic place that, however, has a dark secret lurking just underneath the surface. And as it is a Witcher game, this kind of secret requires a true professional witcher to solve."

Alongside the expansion trailer, the studio also announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, a free upgrade featuring all-new improvements and revamped gameplay features, arriving on September 29 for all platforms.

The developer also confirmed that all those features will be in Songs of the Past as well.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past is slated to launch in 2027, followed by The Witcher 4, which CDPR has confirmed is targeting a 2028 release window.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered has been announced
• The free upgrade arrives on September 29 for all platforms
• This remastered version features up to 40 new visual and gameplay improvements

CD Projekt Red has announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, a free upgrade featuring all-new improvements and revamped gameplay features for its blockbuster RPG game.

Revealed during Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2026, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will arrive next month on September 29 for all available platforms and is free for current owners of the game. On top of that, players who own only the base game can claim the two included expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, at no extra cost.

The news came as a shock to fans, and the gameplay trailer is filled with too many brand-new features to count; even from the footage, you can tell there are some big visual and technical differences, and I can't wait to start another playthrough.

To make everything easier, I've put together a list below of every single new improvement mentioned in the trailer, whether it's upgraded visuals, a revamped combat system, new monster behaviour, or PlayStation 5 Pro support. Seriously, there's a lot!

What's included in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered?

• Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions (at no extra cost if you don't own them)
• Upgraded visuals
• Enhanced combat
• Improved traversal and movement
• New witcher Signs FX
• Revamped mount handling
• Enhanced monster behaviours
• A skill tree revamp
• Transmogrification
• Expanded photo mode
• New finishers
• Cross-platform mod support
• Immersive meditation
• Refined animations
• New quest tracking
• UI improvements
• Looting rework
• Refreshed motion blur
• New accessibility features
• Updated textures
• Foliage shading rework
• Tutorial modernization
• HDR improvements
• GTAO
• Improved menu navigation
• Global lighting rework
• New shading model
• Subsurface scattering
• New tone mapper
• PlayStation 5 Pro support
• Xbox Play Anywhere support
• Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive features
• Nvdia DLSS 4.5
• AMD FSR 4
• Intel XESS 2.0
• Path tracing on PC
• Ray reconstruction on PC
• Raytraced hair
• Native DX12
• Rendering parallelization

The announcement also came right before CDPR showcased the game's third and final major expansion, Songs of the Past, which is due to launch in 2027.

Elsewhere, fans can also look forward to The Witcher 4, which CDPR has confirmed is targeting a 2028 release window.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 has officially concluded, and the two-hour-long show was jam-packed with a deluge of game announcements and reveals.

From an official release date for the upcoming free-to-play open-world action game Ananta to our very first look at the highly anticipated The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past DLC, it offered a solid set of trailers — especially compared to some previous years.

If you weren't able to catch the show live, there's no need to worry about missing out. Here are the major announcements in the order that they happened to get you fully up to date.

Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026

• Nodus Fall — a new co-operative action game from Genshin Impact maker Hoyoverse
• Rainbow Six Tactics — new strategy spinoff launching in 2027
• Gears of War: E-Day — our first look at the villain in new cinematic story trailer
• Ananta — the free-to-play open world RPG is launching January 15, 2027
• Silent Hill Townfall got a new story trailer showing some creepy enemies
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy got another gameplay trailer ahead of release this week
• Sea of Remnants got a new gameplay trailer showing cute puppets and naval action
• Crimson Desert Enhanced announced with new content
• Tides of Annihilation trailer revealed new story details and gameplay
• Lofsong — announced for console and PC
• Megaman Dual Overdrive launches in 2027, and a crossover Pragmata skin is on the way
• Rayman Legends Retold launches on October 1
• PUBG Ded Net announced with a new gameplay trailer
• Control Resonant got an awesome new gameplay trailer
• The Blood of the Dawnwalker trailer revealed new story details and third-person action gameplay
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros got a new gameplay trailer showing Daenerys and Jon Snow — launches in early 2027
• Dust Origins — a new isometric action game from Airship Syndicate
• Exodus got a new gameplay trailer showcasing a new character, a talking octopus named Salt — out April 7, 2027
• Warlock revealed as a new D&D game launching in 2027 for PC and console
• 1001 Threads of Mizan revealed — new narrative game
• Silver Palace: House of Greed got a new gameplay trailer
• Monster Hunter Outlanders — mobile spinoff got a new trailer
• Metro 2039 got a cinematic story trailer ahead of its February 2027 release
• Hitman World of Assassination - The Herbalist ft. rap legend Snoop Dogg DLC launching for free on August 27
• Aion 2 got a new trailer
• Afterworld, a new strategy game from Paradox Interactive, announced
• Petit Planet — life sim got an adorable new trailer

• Mewgenics — comes to consoles on September 8
• Alien Fireteam 2 got a new gameplay trailer
• 1666: Amsterdam got a new trailer ahead of its early access release today
• Showa American Story got a wacky new gameplay trailer, launching on PS5 and PC this year
• Road Kings got a new trailer showing off plenty of trucking action
• Stage Tour — upcoming Guitar-Hero-like music title got a brand new look showcasing setlists and ways to play ahead of December 10 launch
• Crazy Taxi multiplayer reveal trailer
• Turok Origins got a new cinematic trailer
• Gravehounds, furry shooter, got a gameplay trailer ahead of 2026 launch
• Lego Skylines — reveal trailer for bricky city builder game
• Transport Fever 3 got a new trailer, launches September 26
• Exterminauts announced
• Path of Exile full 1.0 release on December 11, will be free-to-play
• Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake revealed in cinematic trailer showing the reimagined strategy title

• No Law announced for 2027
• Project Zeta revealed as a new team-based MOBA
• Cinder City announced with a new trailer, available wishlist now
• Ontos announced with a creepy first-person trailer, launching 2027
• Pony Island 2: Panda Circus launches April 27, 2027
• Zoopunk gameplay reveal trailer shown
• There are no Ghosts at the Grand got a new trailer and is launching December 2026
• Roco Kingdom trailer confirmed closed beta test for October 27
• The Defiant announced
• Tarae the Unbound announced with a gameplay trailer
• Like or Die — quirky social media battle royale announced
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation gets a new cinematic trailer

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 final announcement

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered — announced as free upgrade with loads of new content
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Songs of the Past new cinematic footage shown

What did you think of this year's Opening Night Live show? Let us know in the comments or by voting in the poll below.

I’ve played about an hour of the Gears of War: E-Day campaign, which is shaping up to be a brilliant Xbox 360 throwback. Does E-Day reinvent the wheel? No, at least if the two missions that I’ve played are anything to go by, but everything that makes Gears of War good is present and accounted for.

My hands-on kicked off at the start of Act 2 of the campaign, with the fictional city of Kalona still grappling with the early stages of the mutant Locust invasion. Series hero Marcus Fenix and his rag-tag team of survivors, which includes long-time ally Dominic Santiago along with newcomers Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes, are holed up in the besieged city hall.

There are murmurings of a gigantic creature the group has just taken down — presumably a boss fight at the end of the previous chapter — and you’re quickly drafted into the military effort to take back the city.

Duck and cover

Your first goal is to head to a nearby Thrashball stadium (a familiar in-universe sport that looks like a weird hybrid of football and rugby), which involves traversing the crumbling streets and crossing a giant mechanical bridge. Obviously, things aren’t so simple — with countless Emergence Holes (or E-holes for short) opening and spewing out waves of foes as you make your way over.

Locust enemies are aggressive and, while they don’t pose much threat in isolation, can employ some pretty formidable tactics. The basic rifle-wielding drones will stick to cover like glue, popping up intermittently to spray your team with bullets. They can be hard to keep track of in large numbers, so be careful that those armed with shotguns don’t manage to flank you, as a few close-range hits will shred your health bar in seconds.

Tossed grenades and groups of fast-moving, dog-like Feral Wretches keep the pressure up by forcing you to change cover frequently, preventing fights from devolving into opposing sides taking pot shots at each other across the battlefield.

The steady introduction of new enemy types, from lethal snipers to giant bazooka-equipped brutes, kept the handful of encounters I experienced fresh with some interesting scenarios, like covering another squad located on the other side of the bridge, thrown in there too.

It’s classic Gears of War action, elevated by meaty gunplay.

Chipping away at enemies from a distance is relatively ineffective and awkward (unless you manage to scoop up one of the powerful Breechshot rifles from a fallen enemy sniper to pop a few heads), but the up-close action is beautifully slick. The Gnasher Shotgun remains an absolute beast, with blowing an enemy in half a wonderfully satisfying reward for pulling off the perfect flank.

Once Fenix gets his hands on a prototype chainsaw bayonet, you know that I was sawing practically anything in my path to pieces in a glorious explosion of gore and viscera.

Free roam

The latter portions of my hands-on had me tackling one of the game’s new ‘open district’ missions, and it’s about what you would expect from the name. You’re dropped into a large chunk of the city and granted the ability to explore it freely with a little map to guide you. It doesn’t feel like a true open world as you’re very much guided towards the next objective, though there are some optional side missions to discover and plenty of collectibles to scoop up.

The mission in my preview was a basic wave survival challenge that had me hunkered down in a car dealership with some non-player character (NPC) soldiers. It’s not the most exciting concept, and I’m hoping some of the side content available in the full game is more adventurous. I didn’t feel like my time was wasted, however, as completing it unlocked some powerful weapon mods.

Modding your guns is a new feature introduced in E-Day (presumably somewhat inspired by the similar upgrade system in strategy spinoff Gears Tactics) that lets you customize your gear by improving stats such as magazine size or fire rate. It can sometimes even change how an entire gun operates, for example, having your pistol fire in a two-bullet burst at the cost of long-range accuracy.

The whole formula feels a bit retro, which is far from a bad thing. You don’t really get decent story-driven shooters these days, and the promise of a roughly 14-hour campaign alongside a suite of multiplayer modes to dive into afterwards is the kind of experience I crave as a palate cleanser between mega live-service releases.

It definitely helps that E-Day looks simply amazing from a technical perspective. Xbox has developed a bit of a reputation for delivering some visually stunning titles this generation (look at the borderline photorealistic fidelity of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2), and E-Day is shaping up to be the best-looking yet. Its art direction blends 1980s retro charm with grand Gothic architecture and a distinctly alien, unfamiliar edge, all presented with ray-traced lighting, geometrically complex models, and flawless texture work.

I found myself poring over every detail, soaking in the signs and posters advertising services, the little notices stuck to the front of shops, the names of all the train lines in a subway station; it’s a lovingly crafted world that truly feels lived in.

If I had one complaint, it’s that it all doesn’t really look much like the world of the first Gears of War. That game is admittedly set more than a decade later, on a different part of the planet, but its cars and buildings in particular seem so much more modern than those of E-Day that it just doesn’t line up in my head. Were companies still making new vehicles and updating their storefronts while hundreds of vicious creatures were pouring out of the ground?

This is nitpicking, of course, and it’s not hard to suspend your disbelief when it’s in the service of some truly beautiful design. I’m excited to see even more when Gears of War: E-Day releases for PC and Xbox Series X and Series S on October 6, 2026.

• Paradox Interactive has revealed the upcoming grand strategy game Afterworld
• It's set in a post-apocalyptic America that players can attempt to rebuild
• It's intended to be the studio's most "easy to learn" and "approachable" title yet

Paradox Interactive has revealed Afterworld, an upcoming post-apocalyptic title that looks like the perfect cross between franchises like Fallout or Mad Max and the company's popular grand strategy games.

Created by Paradox Development Studio, the same team behind Crusader Kings 3 and Hearts of Iron 4, Afterworld takes place in an entirely original vision of post-apocalyptic North America filled with resources to exploit, territory to conquer, and rival groups to trade resources, ally with, or wage war against.

Initially, the game is all about building up some semblance of civilization by creating a home and choosing the laws and ethics of your tribe, with the scale gradually developing until you're going head-to-head with other emerging powers to decide the fate of the continent.

Different playable factions let you start your story as everything from apocalypse survivors that have just emerged from a hidden vault to fanatical zealots already familiar with the brutal new world.

“This is the first world we’ve gotten to build from scratch in a long time, and the first one we've had the pleasure of destroying before the game starts," explained game director Dan Lind.

"The old world is still out there in fragments, waiting to be found. What comes after it is entirely up to the players.”

With its "small-scale" starting hours, Afterworld is intended to be the studio's most "easy to learn" and "approachable" title yet — which is good news given the complex systems of games like Hearts of Iron 4 can be incredibly tricky to pick up.

This doesn't mean that surviving is going to be easy, though: the world is full of dangerous old technology and unknown horrors. It's also home to the Ancients, immortal leaders that survived the apocalypse and now dominate the wasteland.

It also sounds like there is going to be a lot of depth, with the developer promising that the experience "as rich and complex" as fans have "come to expect" from its games.

Afterworld doesn't have a release date yet, but can wishlist it on Steam today.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay leaks have been appearing online since mid-August
• More and more footage is being posted every day by the leaker known as 'Cyberleek'
• Here's a full timeline featuring every gameplay leak so far

Grand Theft Auto 6 is just three months out from launch, and the game is set to get a special extended look premiering on Netflix this week. However, an unknown individual or group known as 'Cyberleek' has put a spanner in Rockstar Games' plan and has been posting leaked gameplay footage for over a week.

Cyberleek has since claimed the leaks stem from a goal to stop the end of physical game discs, which Sony plans to do starting January 2028, and Rockstar, which confirmed that the physical version of GTA 6 won't have a disc, but a digital code in the box instead.

While all alleged gameplay footage being posted shows an advertisement for Cyberleek's cryptocurrency scheme, which brings into question the leaker's true motivation, they've also released a manifesto protesting Rockstar's decision and threatened to "disrupt their operations" by leaking game material until the studio issues a public statement and apologizes.

Well, it's another day, and more alleged gameplay footage has been posted online. A lot has happened over the past week, but if you haven't caught up, here's a summary of everything that's leaked so far.

August 18

The very first GTA 6 leak was posted on August 18 and shows co-protagonist Jason Duval playing basketball outside his house in the southern part of Leonida, in an area called Key Lento.

We've seen this area and Jason's house in past trailers, but Rockstar hadn't shared any gameplay. In the clip, Jason is wandering around before picking up a basketball; it looks like the player can dribble and use an aiming mechanic to shoot the ball into the net. There's also a focus meter that gradually increases, with a level system.

The second clip was posted the same day and gave fans a first look at what it's like driving around in GTA 6. Jason can be seen speeding along the roads before getting into a fight with a non-player character (NPC).

Cyberleek also posted a look at the game's Leonida map, which showed areas like Lummox County, Leonard County, Kelly County, Vice Dale County, and Mariana County.

August 19

More gameplay footage, this time two minutes long, was posted the following day, showing Jason breaking into a gated area, killing security guards, before taking their tasers. He then steals a semitruck and drives off, and you can see vehicle health and fuel gauges on the HUD.

Then there's a short cutscene showing Jason and his friend Cal Hampton on a boat, which some suggest is a scene from the beginning of the game.

Another gameplay clip was posted shortly after, showing Jason stabbing a police officer and stealing his motorcycle, as well as what looks like six "Wanted" stars, which is one more than GTA 5. The footage continues, and Jason can then be seen using what looks like pain medication called "Zombix."

August 20

The next clip features Jason flying a small plane over the map, presumably Vice City, and it looks highly detailed. The render distance looks impressive, and you can see lots of buildings, roads, traffic, and more. The player can also be seen browsing radio stations.

Afterward, a second clip shows the player spelling the word "LEEK" on the side of a building using bullets, leading many fans to believe Cyberleek has at least some sort of playable build and the footage isn't stolen from Rockstar's servers.

August 21

The gameplay leaks continued the following day, with the next showing Jason driving a hypercar, specifically, the Truffade Thrax from GTA Online.

August 22

The GTA 6 leaks continued into this past weekend, with longer footage showing a variety of activities, including Jason driving around, pulling into a gas station, physically refueling his car, and then going inside the shop to rob the clerk. When Jason punches him, you can see the hair tech in action, his hat flying off, and Jason taking money from the register.

The clip cuts after he drives away and crashes his car, then Jason can be seen entering a strip club. However, the footage ends with Cyberleek asking for "3mil marketcap = stripclub" in a message on screen for their cryptocurrency scheme.

Well, the leaker delivered, and the next clip shows a deeper look at the strip club, showing neon lights and dancers, as well as highly detailed NPCs in conversation.

August 23

The following day, another clip was posted showing Jason driving to another gas station, stealing someone's truck, and running down the owner. When he crashes the car, the iconic "Wasted" screen pops up, and shortly after, it cuts to Jason having what appears to be an unscripted conversation with an NPC while they both pee in urinals.

Another notable feature of the clip is the mission marker that reads "Return to Lucia", suggesting the leaker could be in the middle of a mission that requires Jason to meet back up with his girlfriend.

More gameplay was posted later, showing Jason flying over Vice City at night.

August 24

On August 24, new gameplay showed Jason walking around a nudist town in Leonida; he enters a party, where there's a pool and lots of naked people standing around or dancing, or ordering drinks at a bar. The player also zooms in on these NPCs using binoculars, and yeah... the bodies are very realistic.

When Jason focuses on another woman, she attacks him, and he kills her before firing his pistol at the rest of the surrounding NPCs.

August 25

The latest leaks got posted today, and it is the first time we see Rockstar's impressive crowd tech at work, seemingly running in-game. The first clip is similar to a shot from the first GTA 6 trailer, but has Jason cycling along Vice City beach instead.

There are a ton of NPCs packed together, showcasing the density the developer's tech allows, and you can see them lounging around, playing in the water, or walking around; the water physics also look remarkable, as do the sand effects.

The next clip shows Jason visiting a shopping plaza and a used video game store that sells physical games, which is ironic given Rockstar's decision to not release a disc version of GTA 6.

The player zooms in on the shelves using binoculars, and every game and movie is named.

It's a bit blurry, but one game title looks like it reads "We Came Together I, II, & III Remasters of the Remakes" (or "Remixes," it's hard to tell), which seems like a little nod to Naughty Dog's multiple editions of The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2.

Signs also state that electronics, consoles, and collectibles can be traded in before Jason walks up to the counter and cycles through a selection of purchasable and wearable earbuds.

That's every alleged gameplay leak that Cyberleek has shared as of today, but we'll keep you updated if more details are posted.

Fans can also look forward to the Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look ahead of the game's launch on November 19, which is set to premiere on Netflix on August 27 at 3PM ET / 12PM PT / 8PM BST and later launch on the studio's YouTube channel at 9PM ET / 6PM PT / 2AM BST.

It's speculated that the extended look will finally reveal official gameplay and Trailer 3.

• An unknown individual or group named 'Cyberleek' has been leaking Grand Theft Auto 6 footage online for the past week
• Fans theorize that the leaker could be an ex-Rockstar developer or someone with access to a restricted build
• They suggest the leaker is only able to post prologue footage, as gameplay showing Lucia has yet to be shared

Grand Theft Auto 6 fans are convinced the person behind the ongoing leaks doesn't have access to the full game, but a restricted build, which could be why no Lucia gameplay has been revealed.

If you're out of the loop, for the past week, an anonymous individual or group known as 'Cyberleek' has been leaking GTA 6 footage online, mainly showcasing co-protagonist Jason driving around, flying a small plane, robbing a gas station, encountering a nudist town, and mostly recently, cycling along Vice Beach.

But how did Cyberleek obtain this gameplay footage, and who are they? There are a ton of theories flying around, with some fans suggesting they're a disgruntled ex-Rockstar developer, a QA tester who worked on the project, or just a hacker who somehow secured a playable build ahead of launch.

One leak in particular showed the player writing the word "LEEK" into the side of a building with bullets, suggesting that the leaker didn't find these gameplay clips from an unsecured server, but at least has a playable portion of the game.

Considering the content of the leaks, some are convinced Cyberleek doesn't have a full copy of the game, but a restricted build containing only the prologue; they point to the fact that the only footage we've seen is with Jason, and gameplay with Lucia, the other co-protagonist, has yet to be leaked.

"The leaker most likely has a build restricted to just the beginning of the game before you even encounter Lucia," one user wrote on the GTA 6 subreddit.

They also noted that all the footage shows constant tutorial pop-ups, which typically show up at the beginning of a game, and Jason is wearing the same clothes.

"He’s at his starter house, he has hardly any money, has the starter car, and has very beginner weapons," they continued. "Like the [pictured] comment said, sometimes gaming companies give very restricted builds for QA. This is almost certainly what happened. Which is why there hasn’t been any story leaks or lucia gameplay.

"This also makes it even easier for rockstar to ID the leaker. They know exactly what build this by the context and the placeholders."

Another user said, "I assume it's from the very beginning of the game and Lucia hasn't been introduced yet," as another responded, "The answer is literally so simple they haven't played any damn mission and haven't unlocked Lucia yet. Every clip has the same C mission marker tracked."

Cyberleek hasn't been identified yet, and the leaks continue to be posted online. Bloomberg reports that Rockstar Games employees and managers are angry about the leaks and parent company Take-Two has petitioned a federal court under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, alleging copyright infringement.

The leaks come just days before Rockstar's planned Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look, which is set to premiere on Netflix on August 27 at 3PM ET / 12PM PT / 8PM BST and later launch on the studio's YouTube channel at 9PM ET / 6PM PT / 2AM BST.

With three months until launch, it's speculated that the extended look will finally reveal official gameplay and Trailer 3.

Back in June, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 — perhaps the most anticipated game of all time — would only be available as a digital download, with physical boxes containing redemption codes rather than discs.

Days later, Sony sent shockwaves through the gaming community by announcing that it would cease production of all PlayStation discs in January 2028. With Xbox on unsteady ground and Nintendo already relying on controversial game-key cards for many of its releases, Sony’s decision felt like the beginning of the end for physical gaming media.

Still, as someone who grew up buying games at brick-and-mortar stores, it's a real shame to just let physical games fade away — especially when physical media has made such a comeback in other industries.

On top of being a lifelong gamer, I’m also a DJ and huge music nerd — so the recent news has made me think about vinyl’s return to popularity in the music industry. With that in mind, I spoke to four experts from across the worlds of gaming and music to find out whether a similar revival could be on the cards for physical games.

Preservation and profit

Sony’s decision to stop making physical game discs hasn’t come out of nowhere. Physical game sales have been in decline for years, with Gamespot reporting that 80 per cent of all PlayStation software sales in the latest fiscal year were digital.

John O’Shea is co-CEO and creative director at the National Videogame Museum in Sheffield, UK. He tells me that Sony’s decision will have wider impacts on how we preserve and share games going forward: “What we’re hearing from communities is that people are worried that some of the games they care about deeply might become less accessible to them as a consequence of being digital only.

“It’s brilliant [at first] because you can access whatever you want,” he continues, “but what’s tricky is if it gets taken down or delisted from the catalogue.”

O’Shea adds that, in the UK, video games are not archived with as much care as other forms of media: “The wider challenge is that there is not currently an integrated framework for video game conservation. Individual companies should, and rightly do, pursue their own business focus, but where something exists in a digital format, copies can’t easily be made within a legal framework.”

The decline in physical game sales has tracked with a decline in brick-and-mortar gaming stores. Leading US retailer GameStop has closed more than 700 of its domestic stores since early 2025, and the once-mighty UK retailer Game has been reduced to a section in sporting goods store Sports Direct.

Khalil Madim is assistant manager of London independent game store Game On. He tells me that the business is preparing to shift away from selling games altogether: “We might change the entire business to electronic maintenance and parts for PCs. We want to do something that you really need a person for.”

Game On already does most of its trade through its repair service. The store opened in 2009 as a combination game and repair shop, but the latter has taken priority due in part to low margins on new boxed games.

“When it all becomes digital, we might be out of the business,” he continues, “it will impact us so badly. The customers aren’t happy as well – when they buy a game for, say, £10, they can sell it back to us for £5, or they can hand it over to friends or family. But when it’s a digital copy, they can’t do anything.”

The vinyl comeback

Gaming retail finds itself in a similar tricky situation to the vinyl industry at the advent of digital downloads and music streaming.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, LP and EP vinyl sales in the US fell from more than $1.5 billion in 1978 to just $6 million in 1993 – a fall of more than 99 per cent. However, in 2025 LP and EP sales crossed the $1 billion mark for the first time in more than 40 years. Vinyl has also surged in popularity in the UK, with the BBC reporting in 2023 that the industry was at its healthiest since 1990.

Tom Durston runs record store Inverted Audio in south London, as an extension of his blog of the same name: “I’ve been buying records since I was 13 years old, and I used to buy video games as well. Back in the 90s you had to buy a game [in person]. You’d have the little box, and the artwork – it’s the same as a record.”

Durston tells me that his store succeeds because of the curation that physical media requires: “I’ve essentially built a platform for my music taste – over the years an international community of readers has trusted me to filter out good music. We’re a record store, but we’re also an editorial platform.”

He adds that physical media requires more investment from producers, which engenders more investment from consumers: “If you have a physical format, you’re introducing quality control – is it worth pressing 500 records, for example? If not, there’s no point.”

The community Durston mentions is about more than where you buy your media. For DJ and artist manager Madison True, physical media gives people something to connect over in a world of fleeting digital interactions.

True’s ‘Vinyl Bitch’ workshops bring beginner female, non-binary, queer and trans DJs together over a pair of turntables: “The thing we try to cultivate is that community, that love, and that discussion. It’s so cool to see people that I know or those that have never met each other become homies by the end of the night, and it’s because they’ve come together over this piece of physical media.”

True continues: “How cool is it that people can come together no matter their sexual identity, or gender, or religion, and come together and talk about how cool something looks and sounds? You wouldn’t get that if it wasn’t physical.”

Could physical games have a comeback?

Before setting out to write this article, I thought that the best hope for gaming was to mirror record labels’ investment in nostalgic special editions – even without a disc, gatefold covers with new artwork and box sets with bonus goodies and collectibles could be enough to make owning a game feel worthwhile.

The issue is that the games industry is more centralised than the music industry. Sony licenses the creation of PlayStation discs and is the sole manufacturer of PlayStation consoles, meaning indie developers can’t just opt out of working within their system.

As such, John O’Shea says that gamers are keen to hold on to anything that gives them a sense of ownership: “In the fan community, there’s a subjectivity of stories that’s really important. Anything that feels like it’s allowing less of a sense of ownership for the game’s players in the communities is going to have an emotional response.

“With video games, it’s the players that bring games to life, and the players want to have a sense of ownership in return.”